yo soy tu padre
/ʝo soi tu padɾe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I am your father" is translated into Spanish as yo soy tu padre.
This phrase is used to state that the speaker is the biological or legal father of the person being addressed.
Which one should you use?
The choice of words for "your" changes the relationship level: tu padre implies a familiar or informal relationship, while su padre is used in a formal context.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, particularly in Latin America, Yo soy tu viejo is a common way to say "I am your old man" when referring to one's father.
How does it change in a sentence?
In natural Spanish, the subject pronoun yo is often omitted because the verb conjugation soy already indicates that the subject is "I". Therefore, soy tu padre is a very common, natural way to say the phrase. Additionally, replacing the possessive tu with su changes the phrase to a formal register, such as in soy su padre.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word padre is frequently used as an adjective in Mexico to mean 'cool' or 'great'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a child might refer to their father as mi viejo (my old man) or mi jefe (my boss) instead of using the word padre.
- The English word 'father' and the Spanish word padre share a common ancestor in the Proto-Indo-European root *ph₂tḗr, making them distant linguistic cousins.
Examples in context
- Yo soy tu padre.I am your father.This sentence shows a basic statement of the phrase.Tatoeba #3848503 by cueyayotl, translation #1769470 by wwkudu
- No, yo soy tu padre.No, I am your father.This sentence shows how to use the phrase in a denial.Tatoeba #13947054 by rul, translation #10028900 by espamatics
- Luke, yo soy tu padre.Luke, I am your father.This sentence shows the phrase used when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #857300 by pabsango, translation #857305 by pabsango
- Tranquila, yo soy tu viejoDon't worry, I am your old man
Example conversation
A man reveals his identity to a woman in a dramatic confrontation.
- JavierNo puedes negarlo, yo soy tu padre.You cannot deny it, I am your father.
- María¿Cómo puedes decirme eso?How can you tell me that?
- JavierEs la verdad, María.It is the truth, María.
- MaríaNo puedo creerlo.I cannot believe it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries padre, soy, tu, yo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
