no, tú
/ˈno ˈtu/word by word
The English phrase "no, you are" is translated into Spanish as no, tú.
This phrase is used to deflect a comment or accusation back onto the person who said it. While no, tú literally translates to "no, you", in the context of an argument, it functions as the equivalent of the English "no, you are" or "no, you do".
Which one should you use?
Other forms like no, tú eres provide a more complete grammatical structure for the same meaning.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase no, tú is often an elliptical shorthand for no, tú eres when responding to an adjective-based accusation. To use this deflection with someone you address formally, you must change tú to usted and use the corresponding verb form es, resulting in no, usted es.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈno ˈtu/
Did you know?
- The word tú is a direct linguistic relative of the archaic English word 'thou'. Both words descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European roots used to address individuals.
- Spanish has a dedicated word, tuteo, to describe the social act of addressing someone with tú instead of the formal usted. A playful argument using no, tú is essentially an act of tuteo.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the decision to use no, tú instead of no, usted can be used as a subtle power play to signal that the other person is no longer entitled to formal respect.
Examples in context
- Eres un tonto. No, tú.You are a fool. No, you.
- No, tú eres el que tiene hambre.No, you are the one who is hungry.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are teasing each other about being messy.
- LucíaEres un desordenado, Javier.You are a messy person, Javier.
- JavierNo, tú eres la desordenada, Lucía.No, you are the messy one, Lucía.
- Lucía¡Eso no es verdad!That is not true!
- JavierLo es.It is.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (no, tú) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries no, tú, CC BY-SA 4.0.
