tengo pareja
/tenɡo paɾexa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I am taken" is expressed in Spanish as tengo pareja.
tengo pareja is used to communicate that you are not single and are currently in a committed romantic relationship.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tengo pareja means "I have a partner".
Which one should you use?
While tengo pareja is a common way to state your status, estoy en una relación is a slightly more formal or explicit way to say "I am in a relationship".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the first-person singular form of the verb tener (to have) to indicate possession of a relationship status.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo paɾexa/
Did you know?
- The word pareja evolved from the Late Latin pāriculus, which was a diminutive form of the Latin word pār meaning 'equal'.
- The word pareja is used to describe everything from a romantic partner to a pair of socks or a dance partner.
- The word pareja is a gender-neutral term that remains the same regardless of whether the speaker or their partner is male or female.
Examples in context
- Sí, estoy saliendo con alguien.Yes, I am dating someone.
- Lo siento, ya tengo pareja.I'm sorry, I already have a partner.
- Lo siento, pero tengo pareja.I am sorry, but I am in a relationship.
- No busco nada nuevo, tengo pareja.I am not looking for anything new, I am taken.
- Él no sabe que ya tengo pareja.He doesn't know that I am already in a relationship.
Example conversation
Javier tries to flirt with Lucía at a party.
- LucíaHola, ¿estás soltera?Hi, are you single?
- JavierHola, Javier. No, ya tengo pareja.Hi, Javier. No, I'm already taken.
- LucíaOh, no lo sabía. Lo siento.Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry.
- JavierNo pasa nada, está bien.It's okay, no problem.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pareja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
