echar a suertes
/et͡ʃaɾ a sweɾtes/from spelling rules
The English phrase "draw straws" can be translated into Spanish as echar a suertes.
The phrase echar a suertes is used to describe making a decision by chance or luck rather than by consensus. You can also use the synonyms tomar decisiones al azar or decidir mediante sorteo to express the same idea of deciding something through a random process.
Meaning: decide at random (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb echar (to throw or cast) and the plural noun suertes (fortunes or lots), literally meaning "to throw to lucks/fortunes".
Which one should you use?
While echar a suertes is the standard form, you may also encounter the common variation echar suertes, which simply omits the preposition a.
How do you pronounce it?
/etʃaɾ a sweɾtes/
Did you know?
- The verb echar is a distant relative of the English words 'jet' and 'jut'. All these words share a root meaning 'to throw'.
- In Spanish, suerte means both 'luck' and 'fate'. Depending on the context, echar a suertes can imply a random choice or an inevitable destiny.
- While English speakers visualize drawing straws, the Spanish phrase echar a suertes focuses on the 'throwing' of one's fate or fortune.
Examples in context
- Podemos echar a suertes para ver quién limpia.We can draw straws to see who cleans.
- Vamos a echar a suertes para elegir el restaurante.Let's draw straws to choose the restaurant.
- Si no se ponen de acuerdo, pueden echar a suertes.If you can't agree, you can draw straws.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding who will pay for the coffee.
- Lucía¿Quién paga el café hoy?Who is paying for the coffee today?
- MateoNo lo sé, ¿podemos echar a suertes?I don't know, can we draw straws?
- LucíaVale, me parece justo.Okay, that sounds fair to me.
- Mateo¡Genial! Yo saco el primero.Great! I will draw first.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, echar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
