Which one should you use?
The form eres tonto describes a person's character or a state of being, whereas estás tonto would imply they are acting silly or foolishly at this specific moment.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Eres tonto/a. is an informal way to say "You're dumb" in Spanish. If you need to express a similar sentiment in a formal context, you might use more indirect phrases such as Usted es poco inteligente (You are not very intelligent) or Usted tiene poca capacidad intelectual (You have little intellectual capacity). Within informal speech, while eres tonto can sometimes be used playfully, the phrase eres un idiota is a stronger, more direct insult.
Is it said differently in some regions?
To tell a group of people they are dumb in Spain, use sois tontos.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are speaking to a female, you must change the adjective to the feminine form eres tonta.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾes tonto/
Did you know?
- Some linguists suggest that tonto might be related to the Latin verb tondeo, which means 'to shear'. This would create a strange connection between being 'dumb' and being 'shorn' or 'clipped'.
- While eres tonto is a general insult, Spanish has a vast array of regional slang for 'dumb' that varies wildly between Spain and Latin America, often using local animals or objects.
Examples in context
- Creo que eres tonto.I think you're dumb.This sentence is useful for expressing a personal opinion about someone's intelligence using eres tonto.Tatoeba #5190191 by albrusgher, translation #2799083 by CK
- No eres más tonto, por eso, porque eres tonto.You're not dumber because of that, it's because you're dumb.This sentence is useful for explaining the reason behind a person's perceived lack of intelligence using eres tonto.Tatoeba #6588168 by arh, translation #13602997 by sfgdh
- Eres tonto/a, ¿cómo pudiste olvidar eso?You're dumb, how could you forget that?
- No lo hagas, eres tonto.Don't do it, you're dumb.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are arguing about a bad idea.
- Elena¿De verdad vas a hacer eso?Are you really going to do that?
- AlejandroSí, es una gran idea.Yes, it is a great idea.
- ElenaNo, Alejandro, eres tonto.No, Alejandro, you're dumb.
- Alejandro¡No me digas eso!Don't tell me that!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eres, tonto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
