touché
/tout͡ʃe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "touche" is expressed in Spanish as touché.
touché is an exclamation used to admit that someone has made a clever or effective point in an argument.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase Vale, tienes razón is often used colloquially to acknowledge someone's argument or clever point.
How do you pronounce it?
/toutʃe/
When do people say it?
You can also use the informal phrase buena respuesta to acknowledge someone's wit when they come up with a brilliant comeback.
Did you know?
- In a playful or argumentative context, a Spanish speaker might respond to a clever point with Me has pillado, which literally means 'you have caught me'.
- While touché is used for intellectual arguments, the actual term used in a Spanish fencing match to signal a successful hit is tocado.
- While touché is understood, using it in casual conversation in Argentina or Mexico can make you sound like you are acting in a movie.
Examples in context
- Creo que tu última observación es un tanto parcial. – ¡Bien jugado! Lograste ponerme en jaque con eso.I think your last observation is somewhat biased. – Touche! You managed to checkmate me with that.
- No sé cómo puedes defender esa postura. – Buena respuesta. Me has dejado sin palabras por un momento.I don't know how you can defend that stance. – Touche. You left me speechless for a moment.
- Pero eso es completamente irracional. – Vale, tienes razón. Puede que mi punto de vista esté sesgado.But that's completely irrational. – Touche. My point of view may be biased.
- Touché, no esperaba ese argumento.Touché, I didn't expect that argument.
- ¡Touché! Me dejaste sin palabras.Touché! You left me speechless.
- Touché, tienes mucha razón en eso.Touché, you are very right about that.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are debating about who should cook dinner.
- AlejandroSi no cocinas tú, yo tendré que limpiar la cocina después.If you don't cook, I'll have to clean the kitchen afterwards.
- SofíaPero si no cocinas, no habrá platos sucios que limpiar.But if you don't cook, there won't be dirty dishes to clean.
- AlejandroTouché, Sofía. Me has ganado esta vez.Touché, Sofía. You won this round.
- SofíaEstá bien, yo me encargo de la cena.Fine, I'll take care of dinner.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
