What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "how it is said". It uses the reflexive pronoun se to create an impersonal construction.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, you can use specific phrases to ask about regional variations: ¿Cómo se dice…en tu país? to ask how something is said in a specific country, or ¿Cómo se dice…por estos lados? to ask how it is said in the local area.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the third-person singular form of the verb decir (to say) combined with the reflexive pronoun se to create an impersonal expression, which functions as "how one says" or "how it is said".
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying cómo decir when asking for a translation. While it looks like the English "how to say", the correct impersonal form is cómo se dice.
Did you know?
- While the phrase cómo se dice is used to ask for translations, the verb decir is also used in the idiom decir un decir, which refers to reciting a traditional proverb or folk saying.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, if someone cannot remember a word and asks ¿Cómo se dice?, the listener might respond with Está en la punta de la lengua, meaning the word is 'on the tip of the tongue'.
- The reflexive pronoun se in cómo se dice actually evolved from the Latin word illī, which originally meant 'to him' or 'to her'.
Examples in context
- No sé cómo se dice en francés.I don't know how to say that in French.This sentence shows how to express that you do not know how to say something in a specific language using cómo se dice.Tatoeba #2482856 by Shishir, translation #2451302 by CK
- «¿De verdad crees que si añades una -o al final de cada palabra estás hablando español?» «No, pero si no sé cómo se dice una palabra vale la pena intentarlo.»"Do you really think that when you add an -o at the end of every word, you're speaking Spanish?" "No, but if I don't know how to say something, it's worth a shot."This dialogue uses cómo se dice to describe a situation where someone is attempting to speak a language without knowing the exact words.Tatoeba #10034789 by Shishir, translation #10637511 by DJ_Saidez
- ¿Cómo se dice XXX en neerlandés?How to say XXX in Dutch?This is a standard template for asking how to say a word in Dutch using cómo se dice.Tatoeba #10984683 by Adelpa, translation #388261 by sysko
- ¿Cómo se dice "hello" en español?How do you say "hello" in Spanish?
- ¿Cómo se dice "thank you" en español?How do you say "thank you" in Spanish?
- ¿Cómo se dice "where is the museum" en español?How do you say "where is the museum" in Spanish?
- ¿Cómo se dice "I love you" en español?How do you say "I love you" in Spanish?
- ¿Cómo se dice "delicious" en español?How do you say "delicious" in Spanish?
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are studying Spanish together in a cafe.
- Elena¿Cómo se dice «apple» en español?How do you say 'apple' in Spanish?
- AlejandroSe dice «manzana».You say 'manzana'.
- ElenaGracias, Alejandro. ¿Cómo se dice «bread»?Thanks, Alejandro. How do you say 'bread'?
- AlejandroSe dice «pan».You say 'pan'.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
