¿Tienes un dólar?
The English phrase "do you have a dollar?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Tienes un dólar?
For instance, you might use ¿Tiene un dólar? or ¿Usted tiene un dólar? to ask the same question in a formal context when speaking to strangers or people you do not know well.
Which one should you use?
Use the form ¿Tiene un dólar? instead of ¿Tienes un dólar? when speaking to a stranger, an elder or someone in a position of authority to be polite. Additionally, ¿Usted tiene un dólar? can be used to maintain a more formal tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, questions are marked by both an opening inverted question mark (¿) and a closing question mark (?). To respond by saying "I don't have a dollar", you change the verb tienes to tengo and add no before it, resulting in No tengo un dólar.
Did you know?
- While dólar is the standard word, some regions use the term verde or verdes to refer to US dollars because of the green color of the bills.
- The word dólar is a doublet of the Spanish word tálero. Both words share a common ancestor in the German word Taler which referred to a silver coin.
- In some cultures, asking for a small amount of money like un dólar is accompanied by a gesture of rubbing the thumb and index finger together to symbolize money.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, señor. ¿Tiene un dólar?Excuse me, sir. Do you have a dollar?
- Buenas tardes, señora. ¿Usted tiene un dólar?Good afternoon, ma'am. Do you have a dollar?
- ¡Oye, tú tienes un dólar?Dude, do you have a dollar?
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are at a snack stand.
- JavierLucía, ¿tienes un dólar?Lucía, do you have a dollar?
- LucíaNo, solo tengo monedas.No, I only have coins.
- JavierNo importa, usaré las monedas.It doesn't matter, I'll use the coins.
- LucíaEstá bien, Javier.That's fine, Javier.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dólar, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
