What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the direct object pronoun me (me) and the second-person singular form of copiar (you copy).
Which one should you use?
¿me copias? is used when you want to ensure a message has been received and understood, whereas ¿me oyes? is used to check if the person can simply hear the sound.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and other Latin American countries, ¿Me escuchas? is used informally to check if someone is paying attention. In Spain, ¿Me recibes? is used informally to ask if someone can hear or copy you.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are speaking to a superior or someone you address with usted, you should use the third-person singular form ¿me copia? instead of ¿me copias?
When do people say it?
In a radio context, a standard way to confirm receipt of a message is to say Te copio (I copy you) or Copiado (Copied).
Did you know?
- The word copiar also means 'to cheat' in a school setting, meaning a student who cheats on a test is said to copiar.
- While copiar means 'to copy' or 'to duplicate', in the context of communication it functions as a calque from English radio terminology, mirroring the 'copy' used by English speakers.
- While English uses 'copy' as a verb in this context, the Spanish word copiar is much more commonly understood by everyday speakers as 'to copy' or 'to duplicate' something.
Examples in context
- Hola Marcos, ¿me copias?Hey Marcos, do you copy?
- No te escucho bien, ¿me copias?I can't hear you well, do you copy?
- La señal es débil, ¿me copias?The signal is weak, do you copy?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are communicating via walkie-talkies during a hike.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿me copias?Sofía, do you copy?
- SofíaSí, Alejandro, te copio perfectamente.Yes, Alejandro, I copy you perfectly.
- AlejandroMantente cerca de la ruta.Stay close to the route.
- SofíaEntendido, te veo desde aquí.Understood, I see you from here.
