decir que sí
/deθiɾ ke si/from spelling rules
The phrase "yesin" translates to the Spanish phrase decir que sí, which means to give an affirmative answer or agree to something.
Sí is the universal and most common way to say yes. To provide a stronger affirmation, you can use Claro que sí, which translates to of course and emphasizes a strong affirmation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the word Órale is highly used and can mean yes or convey agreement, enthusiasm or surprise. ¡Claro! means of course and is widely used among friends and acquaintances in casual conversations.
How do you pronounce it?
/deθiɾ ke si/
When do people say it?
Claro que sí translates to of course and emphasizes a strong affirmation.
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, saying sí repeatedly in a fast sequence, such as sí, sí, sí, can actually imply that the listener is impatient and not really listening to the speaker.
- The word sí used for 'yes' is a distant relative of the English word 'self', as both stem from ancient roots describing the individual.
- The word sí is one of the few words in Spanish that requires a written accent mark to distinguish it from the word 'si', which means 'if'.
Examples in context
- ¿Puede comenzar el proyecto mañana? / Sí, puedo comenzar el proyecto mañana.Can you start the project tomorrow? / Yes, I can start the project tomorrow.
- No puedes decir que sí a todo.You can't say yes to everything.
- Ella decidió decir que sí al proyecto.She decided to say yes to the project.
- ¿Vas a decir que sí a la invitación?Are you going to say yes to the invitation?
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing a job offer.
- Lucía¿Vas a decir que sí al nuevo empleo?Are you going to say yes to the new job?
- JavierNo estoy seguro de decir que sí todavía.I am not sure about saying yes yet.
- LucíaEs una oportunidad excelente para ti.It is an excellent opportunity for you.
- JavierTienes razón, lo pensaré bien.You are right, I will think about it carefully.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries decir, que, sí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
