cuándo naciste
/kwando naθiste/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "when were you born" is cuándo naciste.
This phrase is a question used to ask someone for the date or year of their birth.
What does it mean word for word?
The word naciste is the second-person singular form of the verb nacer, which means "to be born".
Which one should you use?
You can also use ¿En qué año naciste? if you specifically want to ask "In what year were you born?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form cuándo naciste? uses the tú (informal) conjugation of the verb. In contrast, the formal version ¿Cuándo nació usted? uses a different conjugation to address the listener with respect.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use a form of ser (to be) to express "were born". In Spanish, you simply use the verb nacer in the past tense.
Did you know?
- The word cuándo shares an ancient root with the English word 'cue', both originating from the Latin 'quando'.
- While the phrase cuándo naciste asks for a date, Spanish speakers may ask for your signo to find out your zodiac sign. This is a common social shorthand to determine the month or period of your birth.
- The Spanish word nacimiento serves a dual purpose, referring both to the biological act of birth and the religious 'nativity' scenes found in Christmas displays.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuándo naciste?When were you born?This example shows how to use cuándo naciste? to ask someone's birth date.Tatoeba #692693 by Shishir, translation #65989 by CK
- Disculpe por mi curiosidad, pero ¿cuándo nació usted?I apologize for my curiosity, but when were you born?
- Amigo, ¿cuándo naciste?Friend, when were you born?
- Recuerdo que tienes la misma edad que yo, ¿en qué año naciste?I remember you're the same age as me, what year were you born?
- ¿Cuándo naciste, exactamente?When exactly were you born?
- No recuerdo cuándo naciste.I don't remember when you were born.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are looking at an old photo album.
- Sofía¿Cuándo naciste, Alejandro?When were you born, Alejandro?
- AlejandroNací en un verano muy caluroso.I was born in a very hot summer.
- Sofía¡Qué suerte que naciste en esa época!How lucky that you were born at that time!
- AlejandroSí, me encanta el clima.Yes, I love the weather.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuándo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
