soy bilingüe
/soi bilinɡwe/from spelling rules
To say "I am bilingual" in Spanish, use soy bilingüe.
This phrase is used to state that a person can speak two languages fluently.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the verb ser in the form soy because being bilingual is viewed as a characteristic or an inherent trait of a person. To refer to a third person, such as "he is bilingual" or "she is bilingual", you change the verb to es bilingüe.
Did you know?
- While soy bilingüe describes a person's ability, Spanish has a specific term diglosia to describe a society where two languages exist but one has more social power than the other.
- The word bilingüe shares a common ancestor with the English word 'tongue' through the Latin 'lingua'.
- The 'ü' in bilingüe is a diaeresis that tells you to pronounce the 'u' as a distinct syllable, rather than treating it as a silent part of a 'gue' sound.
Examples in context
- Soy bilingüe en español e inglés.I am bilingual in Spanish and English.
- Como profesora, soy bilingüe.As a teacher, I am bilingual.
- No necesito un traductor porque soy bilingüe.I don't need a translator because I am bilingual.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are discussing job requirements for a translation position.
- MaríaEl puesto pide hablar dos idiomas.The position requires speaking two languages.
- Mateo¿Tú hablas inglés, María?Do you speak English, María?
- MaríaSí, soy bilingüe.Yes, I am bilingual.
- Mateo¡Perfecto! Entonces puedes aplicar.Perfect! Then you can apply.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bilingüe, soy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
