te presento
/te pɾesento/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I present to you" is translated into Spanish as te presento.
This phrase is used to introduce one person to another. In an informal context, you can also say Te presento a or use the phrase Quiero que conozcas a to mean "I want you to meet".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te presento literally means "I present to you", where te means "to you" (singular, informal) and presento means "I present".
Which one should you use?
When introducing a person, you must include the preposition a before the person's name, such as in the phrase Te presento a…
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase changes depending on whom you are addressing: use le presento when speaking to someone in a formal or polite manner, and use les presento when you are introducing someone to a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
/te pɾesento/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, introducing someone with te presento is often accompanied by a handshake or a light kiss on the cheek, depending on the gender and relationship of the people involved.
- Depending on the region, using te presento to introduce a subordinate to a superior may be seen as less polite than introducing the superior to the subordinate first.
- The word presentación derived from presento can specifically refer to a 'debutante ball', where a young woman is formally introduced to society for the first time.
Examples in context
- Te presento a mi mejor amigo, Luis.I present to you my best friend, Luis.
- Quiero que conozcas a Elena, una compañera de trabajo muy talentosa.I want you to meet Elena, a very talented coworker.
- Te presento a mi hermano.I present my brother to you.
- Te presento a mi mejor amiga.I present my best friend to you.
- Te presento a mi jefe.I present my boss to you.
Example conversation
Daniel introduces his friend to Sofía at a party.
- DanielSofía, te presento a mi amigo Luis.Sofía, I present to you my friend Luis.
- SofíaMucho gusto, Luis.Nice to meet you, Luis.
- DanielLuis es arquitecto como tú.Luis is an architect like you.
- SofíaQué interesante, hola Luis.How interesting, hello Luis.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
