vengo en son de paz
/benɡo en son de paθ/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'I come in peace' is translated into Spanish as vengo en son de paz.
This phrase is used to announce that you are arriving without hostile intentions. It is often used idiomatically to signal that your intentions are non-confrontational, even if you are not speaking in a literal or physical sense.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'I come in sound/tone of peace', where son refers to a sound or tone.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the phrase Vengo en son de paz, güey is used to maintain a casual tone among friends.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the subject of the phrase, you must conjugate the verb. To say 'you come in peace' (informal), change vengo to vienes so the phrase becomes vienes en son de paz. To say 'we come in peace', change vengo to venimos to get venimos en son de paz.
How do you pronounce it?
/benɡo en son de paθ/
Did you know?
- The word paz descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂ǵ-, which originally meant to fasten or fix something in place.
- In Spanish, the word son is not just used for 'tone' or 'spirit', but is also the name of a traditional Afro-Cuban musical genre and dance style.
- Spanish speakers use son to describe the intention of an action, a usage that has no direct equivalent in modern English outside of specific idioms.
Examples in context
- Vengo en son de paz, no te asustes.I come in peace, don't be scared.
- Vengo en son de paz para hablar con usted.I come in peace to talk with you.
- No te preocupes, vengo en son de paz.Don't worry, I come in peace.
Example conversation
Javier approaches Lucía's house unexpectedly.
- Javier¡Hola, Lucía! Vengo en son de paz.Hi, Lucía! I come in peace.
- Lucía¿Por qué llegas tan de repente?Why are you arriving so suddenly?
- JavierSolo quería traerte un regalo.I just wanted to bring you a gift.
- Lucía¡Ah! Entonces puedes pasar.Ah! Then you can come in.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, en, paz, son, CC BY-SA 4.0.
