Which one should you use?
While soltero/a refers to being unmarried, you can also use ¿Está en pareja? to mean "Are you in a relationship?" as a tactful way to determine if someone is single.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use ¿Tienes pareja? to ask if someone is in a relationship. In Spain, people often use ¿Tienes novia/novio? to ask if someone has a girlfriend or boyfriend. In Argentina, a common way to ask about relationship status is ¿Tenés pareja?
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes depending on who you are addressing. Use the feminine form ¿eres soltera? when addressing a woman. To ask the question more formally or politely, use the third-person singular forms: ¿es soltero? (is he single? / are you single?) or ¿es soltera? (is she single? / are you single? To a woman).
Did you know?
- The Spanish word for 'you are', eres, is a linguistic oddity because it actually descends from the Latin future tense 'eris', meaning 'you will be'.
- While soltero describes a status, the phrase estar soltero uses the verb 'to be' that denotes a temporary state, implying that being single is a phase rather than a permanent trait.
- If you want to avoid the potential stiffness of the word soltero, it is much more common in social settings to ask ¿Estás con alguien?, which means 'Are you with someone?'
Examples in context
- ¿Estás soltero?Are you single?
- No, tengo novia.No, I have a girlfriend.
- Perdona, ¿eres soltero?Excuse me, are you single?
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are chatting at a party.
- DanielHola, Sofía. ¿Eres soltero?Hi, Sofía. Are you single?
- SofíaNo, no soy soltera.No, I am not single.
- DanielOh, entiendo. Lo siento.Oh, I see. I'm sorry.
- SofíaNo pasa nada, Daniel.It's okay, Daniel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eres, soltero, CC BY-SA 4.0.
