¿quieres ser mi novia?
The English phrase "will you be my girlfriend?" is translated into Spanish as ¿quieres ser mi novia?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone to enter into a romantic relationship with you.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿quieres ser mi novia? literally translates to "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"
Which one should you use?
While novia is the word used for "girlfriend" in this phrase, note that it can also mean "bride" depending on the context. You may also use ¿Te gustaría ser mi novia? or ¿Quisieras ser mi novia? to ask the same thing informally.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ¿quieres ser mi novia?, the verb quieres is the informal tú form of querer (to want). If you use quiere instead of quieres, the question becomes formal.
Did you know?
- The word novia shares its roots with the word for 'new', coming from the Latin word 'nova'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, using the formal quiere instead of quieres to ask this question might actually sound like you are being distant or overly polite rather than romantic.
- If you were to say this in Portugal, you would use a very similar word, noiva, which shares the same Latin origin as the Spanish novia.
Examples in context
- Tengo una pregunta: ¿quieres ser mi novia?I have a question: will you be my girlfriend?
- Eres especial, ¿quieres ser mi novia?You are special, will you be my girlfriend?
Example conversation
Javier is taking Elena to a romantic dinner.
- ElenaElena, me haces muy feliz.Elena, you make me very happy.
- JavierTú también me haces feliz, Javier.You make me happy too, Javier.
- Elena¿Quieres ser mi novia?Will you be my girlfriend?
- Javier¡Sí, claro que sí!Yes, of course!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mi, novia, ser, CC BY-SA 4.0.
