ponerse en la fila
/poneɾse en la fila/from spelling rules
To get in line in Spanish is ponerse en la fila.
The phrase is used when you want to describe the action of joining a queue of people who are waiting for something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the reflexive verb ponerse, which means to place oneself and en la fila, which means in the row or line.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase hacer cola is more commonly used than ponerse en la fila to express the act of joining or standing in a line. In many parts of Latin America, hacer fila is the standard way to say 'to get in line' or 'to stand in line'.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to give the command 'Get in line!' to a single person informally, you would say Ponte en la fila. To give the command to a group of people, you use the plural form Pónganse en la fila.
How do you pronounce it?
/poneɾse en la fila/
Did you know?
- In several Spanish speaking countries, the word cola for 'line' is a double entendre because it also means 'buttocks'.
- While fila means 'line' or 'row', the common Spanish expression for queuing hacer cola literally translates to 'making a tail'.
- The word fila actually shares a common ancestor with the English word 'file', as both originated from the French word file meaning a thread or line.
Examples in context
- Antes de ingresar al teatro, por favor, pónganse en fila.Before entering the theater, please, get in line.
- Oye, vamos a comprar los boletos para el concierto. ¡Ponte en fila!Hey, let's buy the concert tickets. Get in line!
- Por favor, se requiere que todos se pongan en fila antes de abordar el avión.Please, everyone is required to get in line before boarding the plane.
- Ella tiene que ponerse en la fila de la caja.She has to get in line at the register.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are at a busy movie theater.
- Alejandro¿Dónde es que hay que ponerse en la fila?Where are we supposed to get in line?
- MaríaHay que ponerse en la fila de allá.You have to get in line over there.
- AlejandroEstá muy larga la fila de los boletos.The ticket line is very long.
- MaríaSí, pero hay que ponerse en la fila de todas formas.Yes, but we have to get in line anyway.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, fila, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
