¿Por qué dices eso?
The English phrase "why do you say that?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Por qué dices eso?
A question used to ask for the reason or evidence behind someone's statement.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿Por qué dices eso? is composed of por qué (why), dices (you say – informal singular) and eso (that).
Which one should you use?
Use dices for a single person you know well (informal) and dice for a single person you are addressing with respect (formal). You might also use ¿Cuál es la razón por la que usted dice eso?
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the formal 'you' (usted), change the verb from dices to dice, resulting in ¿Por qué dice eso? To address a group of people, use the plural form dicen instead of dices, such as in ¿Por qué dicen eso?
Did you know?
- The word eso comes from the Latin ipsum, which originally meant 'itself'. Over time, it evolved from emphasizing a specific thing to becoming the general word for 'that'.
- In Spanish, the phrase ¿Por qué dices eso? can be used as a gentle way to challenge a statement without calling the speaker a liar. It invites the person to provide a justification rather than accusing them of being wrong.
- While por qué asks for a reason, changing the phrase to ¿Porque dices eso? (without the accent and space) turns it into a statement meaning 'Because you say that'.
Examples in context
- ¿Por qué dice usted eso acerca de su experiencia laboral?Why do you say that about your work experience?
- ¿Por qué dices eso?Why do you say that?
- Creo que va a llover. ¿Por qué dices eso?I think it's going to rain. ¿Why do you say that?
- No entiendo, ¿por qué dices eso?I don't understand, why do you say that?
Example conversation
Daniel and María are discussing a movie they just watched.
- MaríaCreo que la película fue muy aburrida.I think the movie was very boring.
- Daniel¿Por qué dices eso?Why do you say that?
- MaríaPorque no pasó nada interesante.Because nothing interesting happened.
- DanielA mí me pareció muy emocionante.It seemed very exciting to me.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eso, por, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
