You probably already know about the word ‘sí‘ (yes). But what about other expressions can you use tosay yes in Spanish? Learning these easy and basic agreement phrases will help you go through your daily activities while engaging in conversations with native speakers.
If you have been wondering how to express affirmatives asSpanishnative speakers do, today’s article will show you real diverse scenarios to learn how to use these phrases appropriately.
Let’s begin!
Yes In Spanish
The word ‘sí‘ is an adverb of affirmation, normally used to respond to interrogative questions.
For example:
A: ¿Te gusta la pizza?
B: ¡Sí, me encanta!
Some people even use it sometimes to make the other person know we are listening and understanding what they are saying.
¡Sí! (Yes)
The Spanish word for ‘yes’ is ‘sí.’
These two terms have different meanings in Spanish. ‘Sí’ with the accent or ’tilde’ in the ‘í’ means ‘yes,’ while ‘si’ without the accent means ‘if.’ So, it is critical for you to remember this simple rule to distinguish between the terms and use them appropriately.
What Are The Most Common Ways To Say Yes In Spanish?
The following terms are widely used in the Hispanic world. Depending on the country, you may find so many interesting phrases that people started to use to express their affirmations.
The table contains the most common words besides ‘sí’, includingslangfrom different countries.
In the Spanish language, there is a register to define how we use the language according to the socio-cultural context. Our tone of voice and even the term itself will differ depending on if it is formal, informal, or neutral situation.
When Can You Use These Phrases? Example Escenarios!
Formal Examples
Let’s imagine a formal situation in which you work at a company in a Latin American country. Perhaps while talking with your manager at work in which, they are asking several questions. In this case, you will have to use the appropriate terms for a polite conversation.
Let’s see the following example:
A: ¿Podrías terminar esta tarea para hoy a medio día? (Could you finish this task by noon today?)
B:Por supuesto, terminaré a medio día. (Of course, I will finish at noon.)
In formal situations, you can also safely use words that are neutral, such as in the following conversation between co-workers:
A: ¿Quisieras ayudarme con este proyecto? (Would you like to help me with this project?)
B: ¡Desde luego! (Of course!)
As you can see, in both situations, the person answering back could have simply said ‘sí,’ but chose to use an expression to fit the moment better.
Also, in the second example, you can even use phrases such as ‘claro que sí,’ ‘claro,’ and ‘por supuesto.’
Take a look at another example:
A: Creo que este proyecto tomará demasiado tiempo. Deberíamos dividir las tareas. (I think this project will take too long. We should divide the tasks.)
B: Estoy de acuerdo contigo. (I agree with you.)
See how this conversation uses neutral terms, except for ‘Contigo’, which is the informal form of ‘Usted.’ The direct translation of these terms is ‘with you.’ If you are speaking with co-workers who are allowed to speak casually, you can go ahead while also selecting other polite and neutral words.
This may take time for you to master, but you will be able to understand the way people naturally speak as you listen and interact with them in a common conversation.
Final examples:
A: ¿Podría darme más tiempo, por favor? (Could you please give me more time?)
B: Está bien. (Sure.)
A: ¡Muchas gracias! (Thank you so much!)
B: Con mucho gusto. (You are welcome.)
Now, the whole energy completely changes once you relax and start speaking informally and even add some slang here and there. Let’s get to the fun part!
Informal Examples
Now imagine your best friend is Hispanic. You are close, and you want to speak with your friend in their native language. These would be some common conversations:
A: ¿En verdad puedes cocinar pasta?
B: ¡Síp!
Personally, I would use ‘síp’ to express joy. It has more feeling and emotion than ‘sí.’, And it has the power to express your personality as well, to show that you are a joyful person and not boring.
In the example above, that ‘síp’ can make you understand that the person is proud of being able to cook pasta.
More examples:
A: ¿Vas al cine con nosotros hoy? (Are you going to the movies with us today?)
B: Si, pero llegaré tarde.(Yes, but I’ll be late.)
A: ¿Me estás hablando en serio? (Are you serious?)
B: Si, lo digo en serio! (Yes, I’m serious!)
How about using slang?
A: Termino mi tarea de español y te paso viendo, ¿de acuerdo? (I’ll finish my Spanish homework, and I’ll come see you, okay?)
B: Está bien.
A: Es muy tarde. Yo creo que deberíamos volver al hotel. (It ‘s too late. I think we should go back to the hotel.)
B: Simón… (Yes…)
A: No vamos a poder viajar hoy por tanta lluvia. ¿Viajamos mañana mejor? (We will not be able to travel today because of the heavy rain. Let ‘s travel tomorrow?)
B: De ley… Estoy de acuerdo contigo. Esperemos hasta mañana. (Yeah… I agree with you. Let ‘s wait until tomorrow.)
4 Other Spanish Words To Answer Questions
There will be times that you need to answer ‘no.’ Thankfully, this term in Spanish is the same as in English, with only a small difference in accent.
You might also need to say ‘maybe’ or more expressions, depending on what Spanish speakers ask.
So, I will share with you these vocabulary terms with examples in case you don’t want to say yes.
- No – No
A: ¿Vas a la fiesta? (Are you going to the party?)
B: No. No voy a la fiesta, hace demasiado frío. (No. I’m not going to the party. It’s too cold.)
A: Tienes razón. Tampoco iré. (You’re right. I won’t go either.) - Maybe – Tal vez
A: ¿Crees que dejará de llover en una hora? (Do you think it will stop raining in an hour?)
B: Tal vez… (Maybe…) - Perhaps – Quizá
A: ¿Podré aprender a leer Japonés en 6 meses? (Will I be able to learn to read Japanese in 6 months?)
B: Quizá. Pero debes practicar todos los días. (Maybe. But you must practice every day.) - Possibly – Puede ser
A: ¿Puedes llevarme al centro comercial mañana? (Can you take me to the mall tomorrow?)
B: Puede ser…(Possibly)
Practice Saying Yes In Spanish!
Now you can start practicing the different positive phrases to say yes in Spanish according to the formal or informal context that you are in.
My best advice would be to use a formal tone of voice when talking with people for the first time. In many regions of Latin America specifically, you will find many people of any age that will always prefer the polite way of speaking.
Since you never know, it’s better to be safe and formal from the beginning. If you see they speak to you informally, you can ask them if you can do the same.
While having conversations with people, you will sense how casual it is to the other person and to you.
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