¿y tú?
/ʝ ˈtu/word by word
In Spanish, 'what about you' is said as ¿y tú?
This phrase is used to ask someone for their opinion or information after you have already shared your own.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'and you'.
Which one should you use?
While ¿y tú? is used to ask for information or opinions, it is distinct from ¿qué tal tú?, which is a less common way to ask how someone is doing.
How does it change in a sentence?
When speaking to someone formally, the phrase changes to ¿y usted?
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝ ˈtu/
Did you know?
- The word tú is a direct cognate of the archaic English word 'thou'. Both languages inherited this form from a common Proto-Indo-European root.
- While ¿y tú? is the standard for 'what about you', using ¿y vos? in Argentina or Uruguay changes the social dynamic to a regional preference known as voseo.
- In some regions of Spain, particularly Andalusia, the tú in ¿y tú? may be dropped entirely in fast speech, leaving only the ¿y? to signal the return question.
Examples in context
- Soy húngaro, ¿y tú?I'm Hungarian, what about you?This sentence shows how to use ¿y tú? to ask about someone's nationality.Tatoeba #10671385 by Shishir, translation #11332275 by Luornu
- Jacques tiene su libro, ¿y tú?Jacques has his book. What about you?This sentence shows how to use ¿y tú? to ask about possession.Tatoeba #1089974 by Shishir, translation #9550115 by ChurroC
- No pude entenderle ni un poco, ¿y tú?I couldn't understand him at all. What about you?This sentence shows how to use ¿y tú? to ask if someone else also had difficulty understanding someone.Tatoeba #2224754 by marcelostockle, translation #664708 by bluepie88
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are discussing their weekend plans.
- LucíaYo voy a ir al cine el sábado, ¿y tú?I am going to go to the cinema on Saturday, what about you?
- DanielYo prefiero quedarme en casa y descansar.I prefer to stay at home and rest.
- LucíaEso suena muy relajante.That sounds very relaxing.
- DanielSí, necesito dormir mucho.Yes, I need to sleep a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (y, tú) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tú, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
