¿estás embarazada?
The English phrase "are you pregnant" is translated into Spanish as ¿estás embarazada?
This phrase is a question used to ask a woman if she is expecting a baby.
What does it mean word for word?
The word embarazada is the direct adjective used to mean "pregnant".
Which one should you use?
¿Estás embarazada? is a common way to ask a friend if they are pregnant. If you are speaking to someone you do not know well or are in a formal context, you may use ¿Está embarazada? or the slightly more indirect ¿Está esperando un bebé?, which translates to "Are you expecting a baby?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective embarazada must end in a because it refers to a female subject.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse embarazada with the word for "embarrassed", but they are not related. embarazada means pregnant.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish speaking cultures, it is considered a major social faux pas to ask ¿estás embarazada? unless the woman has already announced it or it is physically obvious.
- In some Spanish speaking cultures, it is common to avoid the phrase ¿estás embarazada? by asking ¿estás en dulce espera?, which translates to 'are you in sweet waiting'.
- In certain regions of Spain, you may encounter the expression estar en estado, which is a euphemism used to avoid saying the word 'pregnant' directly in polite conversation.
Examples in context
- ¿Estás embarazada?Are you pregnant?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is pregnant using the form ¿estás embarazada?Tatoeba #854231 by opor, translation #281970 by rpglover64
- ¡Felicidades! ¿Estás embarazada?Congratulations! Are you pregnant?
- Querida señora, ¿tiene usted la dicha de estar esperando un bebé?Dear madam, do you have the joy of expecting a baby?
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are talking about a surprise announcement.
- JavierTienes una noticia importante, ¿estás embarazada?You have some important news, are you pregnant?
- ElenaSí, Javier, ¡estoy esperando un bebé!Yes, Javier, I am expecting a baby!
- Javier¡Qué alegría! No lo sabía.What joy! I didn't know.
- ElenaQueríamos decirte hoy.We wanted to tell you today.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
