¿Cuándo te vas?
To ask "when do you leave?" in Spanish, say ¿Cuándo te vas?
¿Cuándo te vas? asks someone when they are departing, for example on a trip, at the end of a visit or before a move.
What does it mean word for word?
Cuándo means when and te vas means you leave or you are leaving, from a reflexive verb meaning to go away.
How does it change in a sentence?
te vas is the informal singular you form. With someone you address formally, or with a group, the pronoun and the verb ending change.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Keep the accent on Cuándo and open the written question with an upside down question mark.
Did you know?
- Asking ¿Cuándo te vas? too early during a visit can be interpreted as a subtle hint that the host wants the guest to leave.
- The word cuándo is a distant relative of the English word 'cue'.
- The command ¡Vete!, derived from the same verb as te vas, can range from a mild 'go away' to an aggressive 'get out' depending on the country.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are chatting at a party.
- ElenaMe gusta mucho esta fiesta, ¿cuándo te vas?I really like this party, when do you leave?
- AlejandroMe voy en diez minutos.I'm leaving in ten minutes.
- ElenaEstá bien, yo me quedo un poco más.That's fine, I'll stay a bit longer.
- Alejandro¡Diviértete mucho, Elena!Have a lot of fun, Elena!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuándo, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
