tener razón
/teneɾ ɾaθon/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "to be right" is tener razón.
Use this phrase to express that someone is correct about a fact or a statement. To express the opposite, that someone is wrong, you should use the negation no tener razón rather than looking for a single word for "wrong".
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tener razón translates to "to have reason".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the slang expression tener la posta is used to mean "to have the truth" instead of tener razón.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the phrase uses the verb tener (to have), you must conjugate it to match your subject. For example, you might say tienes razón for "you are right" or tenía razón for "he/she was right".
How do you pronounce it?
/teneɾ ɾaθon/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using ser correcto to say that a person is right. In Spanish, ser correcto usually refers to something being accurate or a person being polite and proper, rather than a person being correct about a specific point.
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers use tener to express many internal states that English describes with 'to be', such as tener hambre for 'to be hungry' or tener miedo for 'to be afraid'.
- The phrase tener razón is part of a broader Romance language pattern, sharing the same logic as the French avoir raison and Italian avere ragione.
- In some formal or legal contexts, the phrase tener razón is used to indicate that a person has a legitimate legal claim or standing, rather than just being correct about a fact.
Examples in context
- Es peligroso tener razón cuando el gobierno está equivocado.It's dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.This sentence shows the phrase tener razón used in a political context.Tatoeba #6379755 by Adelpa, translation #6393242 by npvojtik
- Resultó tener razón.He turned out to be right.This sentence shows how to use tener razón to describe a past realization.Tatoeba #10830448 by megamanenm, translation #10830445 by megamanenm
- Tú tienes razón.You are right.
- Estoy en lo correcto.I am right.
- Creo que él está en lo correcto.I think he is correct.
- Él tiene la razón.He is right.
- Ellos tienen la razón en este caso.They are right in this case.
- Estoy en lo cierto, ¿verdad?I am right, aren't I?
- ¡Creo que estás en lo cierto!I think you are right!
- ¡Che, tenés la posta!Hey, you're right!
- Tienes toda la razón, amigo.You're absolutely right, my friend.
- Creo que vas a tener razón.I think you are going to be right.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries razón, tener, tener razón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
