SOS
/sos/from spelling rules
The English phrase SOS is translated into Spanish as SOS.
SOS is the international distress signal used to request emergency assistance.
How do you pronounce it?
/sos/
Did you know?
- If you are using the 'vos' pronoun in Argentina or Uruguay, the second person conjugation of the verb 'ser' is 'sos', making it look identical to the distress signal.
- In Spanish, the word socorro is the traditional term for a cry for help. While SOS is used in writing or signs, someone shouting for emergency assistance in a street would likely yell ¡Socorro!
- The term SOS is often mistakenly thought to stand for 'Save Our Souls' or 'Save Our Ship'. In reality, it was chosen for its simple and unmistakable pattern in Morse code: three dots, three dashes and three dots.
Examples in context
- Escribieron SOS en la arena de la playa.They wrote SOS in the sand on the beach.
- El barco envió una señal de SOS por la radio.The ship sent an SOS signal via radio.
- Podemos ver el mensaje SOS desde el avión.We can see the SOS message from the plane.
Example conversation
Two people are stranded in a remote area.
- MaríaNo tenemos señal en el teléfono.We have no signal on the phone.
- AlejandroTenemos que enviar un SOS.We have to send an SOS.
- María¿Cómo podemos hacerlo?How can we do it?
- AlejandroUsaremos el espejo para hacer señales.We will use the mirror to signal.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
