yo también hablo español
/ʝo tambjen ablo espaɲol/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I can speak spanish too" is expressed in Spanish as yo también hablo español.
This phrase is used to state that the speaker possesses the ability to speak Spanish in addition to other languages. In Spanish, rather than using a verb for "can" to denote ability, it is standard to simply use the verb for "speak" to express that one has the skill of speaking the language.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I also speak Spanish".
Which one should you use?
While the default form is yo también hablo español, you can also say hablo español también by moving the word for "too/also" to the end of the sentence. Both are grammatically correct and convey the same idea.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase yo también hablo español, the word también is placed before the verb hablo to indicate the speaker is adding this ability to a list of others. In natural speech, the subject pronoun yo is often omitted because the verb ending -o in hablo already identifies the subject as "I", resulting in también hablo español.
Did you know?
- The word español likely comes from a Punic word meaning 'coast of hyraxes'.
Examples in context
- Señorita Martinez, yo también puedo hablar español.Miss Martinez, I can speak Spanish too
- Oye, amigo, yo también sé hablar español.Hey, buddy, I can speak Spanish too
- Yo también puedo conversar en español.I can converse in Spanish too
- No te preocupes, yo también hablo español.Don't worry, I speak Spanish too.
- Si necesitas ayuda, yo también hablo español.If you need help, I speak Spanish too.
Example conversation
Two coworkers are discussing their language skills.
- MateoHola Lucía, yo hablo inglés y español.Hello Lucía, I speak English and Spanish.
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Yo también hablo español.That's great! I speak Spanish too.
- Mateo¿En qué país aprendiste el idioma?In which country did you learn the language?
- LucíaLo aprendí en la escuela, Mateo.I learned it in school, Mateo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries español, también, yo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
