adivina quién
/adibina kjen/from spelling rules
The English phrase "guess who" is translated into Spanish as adivina quién.
adivina quién is a phrase used to ask someone to identify a person who is not yet visible or named. It is commonly used as a standalone exclamation to start a game or a reveal, often accompanied by exclamation marks: ¡Adivina quién!
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative verb adivina (guess/solve a riddle) and the interrogative pronoun quién (who).
Which one should you use?
While adivina quién is the standard informal way to say the phrase, Adivine quién is the formal version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form adivina quién uses the informal tú imperative. For a formal setting, you would use the form adivine quién.
Did you know?
- While adivina means 'guess', it is rooted in the word adivino, which refers to a fortune teller or a seer.
- When used as a question, ¿quién? must always carry a written accent mark to distinguish it from the relative pronoun quien, which has no accent.
- The word quién shares a common ancestor with the English word 'who' via the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷos.
Examples in context
- Adivina quién soy.Guess who I am.This sentence is useful for showing how to say "Guess who I am" using adivina quién.Tatoeba #9706703 by Shishir, translation #1776533 by Amastan
- Adivina quién ganó.Guess who won.This sentence shows how to say "Guess who won" using adivina quién.Tatoeba #9443862 by ignacio, translation #5353342 by CK
- ¡Adivina quién!Guess who?This sentence shows how to use adivina quién as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #10654577 by DJ_Saidez, translation #9280428 by DJ_Saidez
- ¡Adivina quién fue seleccionado como el capitán del equipo de fútbol!Guess who was selected as the captain of the soccer team!
- He cambiado un poco mi apariencia, Adivina quién soy.I've changed my appearance a bit. Guess who I am.
- Esta persona es conocida como el "Rey del Pop" y tuvo éxitos como "Billie Jean" y "Thriller." Adivina quién es.This person is known as the "King of Pop" and had hits like "Billie Jean" and "Thriller." Guess who it is.
- Adivina quién es el cantante mexicano más famoso a nivel mundial.Guess who is the most famous Mexican singer worldwide.
Example conversation
Daniel is hiding behind a door to surprise Lucía.
- Daniel¡Adivina quién!Guess who!
- Lucía¿Eres tú, Daniel?Is it you, Daniel?
- DanielSí, ¡adivina quién te trajo flores!Yes, guess who brought you flowers!
- Lucía¡Ay, qué lindo eres!Oh, you are so sweet!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quién, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
