por supuesto que sí
/poɾ supwesto ke si/from spelling rules
The English phrase "of course I do" is translated into Spanish as por supuesto que sí.
por supuesto que sí is a strong affirmative response. It is used to confirm that you perform a certain action or experience a particular feeling in response to a question. For example, you might use it to answer ¿Te gusta el café? (Do you like coffee?).
Which one should you use?
While por supuesto que sí is a standard way to express certainty, claro que sí is a common alternative that often feels slightly more casual.
Did you know?
- While sí is the word for 'yes', it is also the reflexive pronoun for 'himself', 'herself' or 'itself'. This means the same word is used for both a strong affirmative and a self-referential pronoun.
- The word que in this phrase is a distant relative of the English word 'who'. Both descend from a Proto-Indo-European root used to ask questions.
- In some contexts, using por supuesto que sí can sound overly emphatic or even sarcastic if the answer to the question is blindingly obvious.
Examples in context
- ¿Quieres ir a la fiesta esta noche? B: ¡Claro que sí!Do you want to go to the party tonight? B: Of course I do!
Example conversation
Daniel asks Lucía if she enjoys traveling.
- Daniel¿Te gusta viajar por el mundo, Lucía?Do you like traveling the world, Lucía?
- Lucía¡Por supuesto que sí!Of course I do!
- Daniel¿Quieres visitar Japón el próximo año?Do you want to visit Japan next year?
- LucíaSí, me encantaría.Yes, I would love to.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries por, que, supuesto, sí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
