quién soy
/kjen soi/from spelling rules
The English phrase "who I am" is translated into Spanish as quién soy.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interrogative pronoun quién (who) and the first-person singular present indicative of ser (to be), soy (I am).
How does it change in a sentence?
In indirect questions or noun clauses like "I know who I am", the word quién must retain its accent mark.
Did you know?
- If a speaker asks ¿Quién soy? in a philosophical context, they are questioning their essence. However, if they ask ¿Quién soy yo? with the added pronoun, they are often expressing disbelief or indignation, similar to 'Who do you think I am?'
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, discussing quién soy in a formal introduction often involves mentioning one's family lineage or origin, as identity is viewed as more collective than in individualistic English cultures.
- The 'y' sound at the end of soy was not originally part of the Latin root sum. It likely developed over time due to the influence of other common Spanish verbs like doy and voy.
Examples in context
- No sé quién soy.I don't know who I am.Tatoeba #1875881 by Shishir, translation #5117753 by CarpeLanam
- No sabe quién soy.He doesn't know who I am.Tatoeba #769725 by Shishir, translation #769727 by Shishir
- Ella sabe quién soy.She knows who I am.Tatoeba #2027421 by Shishir, translation #1828627 by Amastan
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are talking about their personal identities.
- ElenaTardo mucho tiempo en descubrir quién soy.It takes me a long time to discover who I am.
- DanielEso es normal, Elena. Todos pasamos por eso.That is normal, Elena. We all go through that.
- ElenaSolo quiero ser fiel a quién soy.I just want to be true to who I am.
- DanielY esa es la mejor forma de vivir.And that is the best way to live.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quién, soy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
