¿nos vamos?
/nos ˈbamos/word by word
The English phrase "are we going?" can be translated into Spanish as ¿nos vamos?
¿nos vamos? is used to ask if it is time for a group to leave a place.
Which one should you use?
While ¿vamos? also means "are we going?", using the reflexive form ¿nos vamos? specifically emphasizes the act of departing or leaving a location.
Is it said differently in some regions?
¿nos vamos? is widely used in informal contexts, especially in Mexico and Central America.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the present indicative tense to express an immediate future action, which is a common way in Spanish to ask "are we going?"
How do you pronounce it?
/nos ˈbamos/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying ¿nos vamos? isn't just a question but a social signal to begin the ritual of saying goodbye, which can often take several minutes of chatting.
- While ¿nos vamos? is common, in some parts of Spain you might hear people use the phrase ¿nos piramos? to suggest leaving a place in a very informal or slangy way.
- The verb vamos actually comes from the Latin subjunctive vādāmus, which originally meant 'let us go'.
Examples in context
- ¿Vamos al cine esta noche?Are we going to the movies tonight?
- ¿Vamos de vacaciones en julio?Are we going on vacation in July?
- ¿Vamos a la fiesta de Juan?Are we going to Juan's party?
- Ya es tarde, ¿nos vamos?It's late already, are we going?
- Es tarde, ¿nos vamos?It's late, are we going?
- Ya terminamos, ¿nos vamos?We are finished, are we going?
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are at a party.
- JavierLucía, ¿nos vamos?Lucía, are we going?
- LucíaSí, ya es muy tarde.Yes, it is already very late.
- JavierBusco mis llaves y salimos.I'll look for my keys and we'll leave.
- LucíaEstá bien, te espero.All right, I'll wait for you.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nos, vamos) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nos, vamos, CC BY-SA 4.0.
