hablar en serio
/ablaɾ en seɾjo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "be for real" can be translated into Spanish as hablar en serio.
This phrase is used both to indicate that one is being truthful and to demand that another person stop joking or being untruthful.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb hablar (to speak) and the prepositional phrase en serio (in seriousness/seriously).
Which one should you use?
En serio is an informal translation for be for real. No me jodas is a colloquial expression meaning Don't screw with me!
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the phrase as an imperative command to tell someone to 'be for real', you use the imperative form habla en serio.
How do you pronounce it?
/ablaɾ en seɾjo/
Did you know?
- If you want to tell someone to 'be for real' in a very slangy, Mexican way, you might say no mames, though this is much more vulgar than the polite habla en serio.
- The verb hablar shares a common ancestor with the English word 'fable'. This is because the Old Spanish form fablar came from the Latin fābulārī, which means to converse or chat.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, an expression like no me jodas is so common that it can function as a simple expression of surprise rather than an actual insult.
Examples in context
- ¿Estás bromeando?Are you kidding me?
- ¿Estás hablando en serio?Are you being for real?
- Tienes que hablar en serio conmigo.You have to be for real with me.
- ¿Puedes hablar en serio por un momento?Can you be for real for a moment?
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, hablar, serio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
