¿quién eres?
The English phrase "who are you?" is translated into Spanish as ¿quién eres?
This phrase is used to ask for the identity of a person.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of quién (who) and eres (the second-person singular present indicative of the verb ser, meaning "to be").
Which one should you use?
¿quién eres? uses the informal "tú" form, whereas ¿quién es usted? uses the formal "usted" form to show respect or distance. If you are asking a group of people, you should use the plural form ¿quiénes son? instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Argentina and Uruguay, the phrase ¿quién sos? is used instead of ¿quién eres? to ask who someone is informally. In these regions, sos is the informal form of the verb ser.
How does it change in a sentence?
For a single person in a formal context, use ¿quién es usted? To ask "who are you?" to a group of people, use the plural form ¿quiénes son?
Did you know?
- Using ¿quién eres? with a stranger or a superior can be perceived as aggressive or confrontational in some Spanish-speaking cultures.
- The word eres is an exceptional relic of the Latin future tense. It actually comes from the Latin word for 'you will be' rather than 'you are'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿quién es? while on the phone is the standard way to ask 'who is calling?' rather than asking for the person's identity.
Examples in context
- Buenas tardes, ¿quién es usted?Good afternoon, who are you?
- ¡Hola! ¿Quién eres?Hi! Who are you?
- ¿quién eres tú?Who are you?
- Lo siento, ¿quién eres?I'm sorry, who are you?
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time in a classroom.
- ElenaHola, soy Elena. ¿Quién eres?Hi, I'm Elena. Who are you?
- AlejandroHola Elena, yo soy Alejandro.Hi Elena, I am Alejandro.
- ElenaMucho gusto, Alejandro.Nice to meet you, Alejandro.
- AlejandroIgualmente, Elena.Likewise, Elena.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eres, quién, CC BY-SA 4.0.
