y
/ʝ/
The Spanish word y means 'and'.
Which one should you use?
While y is the standard form for 'and', it changes to e when the following word begins with the sound /i/ (specifically words starting with 'i-' or 'hi-') to avoid phonetic cacophony.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA pronunciation is /ʝ/.
Did you know?
- When reciting the alphabet, the letter y is called i griega, which means 'Greek i', because the letter was historically adapted from the Greek letter upsilon.
- The word y is a direct descendant of the Latin word et, which is also the root of the English word 'et cetera'.
- The Spanish language has no single word for the English 'and/or', leading to the adoption of y/o, which many linguistic purists label as an 'Anglicism'.
Examples in context
- Los hombres tienen un cromosoma X y un Y, las mujeres tienen dos X.Men have an X and Y chromosome, women, two Xs.This sentence is useful for seeing y used in a scientific context regarding chromosomes.Tatoeba #1687229 by marcelostockle, translation #1686184 by darinmex
- El alfabeto del alto sorabo contiene treinta y cuatro letras: a, b, c, č, ć, d, dź, e, ě, f, g, h, ch, i, j, k, ł, l, m, n, ń, o, ó, p, r, ř, s, š, t, u, w, y, z, ž.The Upper Sorbian alphabet consists of 34 letters: a, b, c, č, ć, d, dź, e, ě, f, g, h, ch, i, j, k, ł, l, m, n, ń, o, ó, p, r, ř, s, š, t, u, w, y, z, ž.This sentence is useful for seeing y used when listing letters in an alphabet.Tatoeba #10078882 by manufrutos, translation #9832088 by Dominika7
- Si A es el éxito en la vida, entonces A = X + Y + Z. Donde X es trabajo, Y es placer y Z es mantener la boca cerrada.If A is success in life, then A = X + Y + Z. Where X is work, Y is pleasure, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.This sentence is useful for seeing y used in an equation to connect different concepts.Tatoeba #6050789 by Adelpa, translation #9947580 by DJ_Saidez
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are at a cafe ordering food.
- AlejandroQuiero un café y un té.I want a coffee and a tea.
- Elena¿Quieres pan y azúcar también?Do you want bread and sugar too?
- AlejandroNo, solo café y té.No, just coffee and tea.
- ElenaEstá bien, Alejandro.That is fine, Alejandro.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry y, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
