eres pobre
/eɾes pobɾe/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'you're poor' is translated into Spanish as eres pobre.
The phrase is a statement used to tell someone that they have very little money.
Which one should you use?
The phrase eres pobre uses the informal tú form of the verb, which is used with friends, family or people your age. Using es pobre instead of eres pobre changes the level of formality to the usted form, used for showing respect or distance.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the informal way to say you're poor is No tienes un duro. In Mexico, the informal way to say you're poor is Estás pelado/a.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb eres (you are) changes to es (he/she/it is) to change the subject of the sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɾes pobɾe/
Did you know?
- The Mexican phrase estás pelado literally translates to 'you are peeled' or 'you are bald'. In this context, it uses the image of being stripped bare to describe having no money.
- The verb eres is a linguistic rarity because it is a relic of the Latin future tense eris, meaning 'you will be'. It eventually replaced the original Latin present tense form in Spanish.
- In Spanish, pobre can be used to express pity rather than financial status. Saying pobre de ti is more like saying 'poor you' or 'you poor thing' in English.
Examples in context
- Eres pobre.You're poor.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase eres pobre.Tatoeba #3427255 by konrad509, translation #2203195 by CK
- ¡Oye, tú estás pelado! Necesitarás trabajar más para salir adelante.Hey, you're broke! You'll need to work harder to get ahead.
- No tienes nada, eres pobre.You have nothing, you're poor.
- Si pierdes todo, eres pobre.If you lose everything, you're poor.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are arguing about their budgets.
- MaríaNo tienes dinero, eres pobre.You have no money, you're poor.
- MateoNo soy pobre, solo estoy ahorrando.I'm not poor, I'm just saving.
- MaríaPero no puedes pagar la cena.But you can't pay for dinner.
- MateoEso no significa que sea pobre.That doesn't mean that I'm poor.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eres, pobre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
