26 Useful Ways to Yes in Spanish

Share this:

You may already know or have heard how to say yes in Spanish, which is simply . Along with hola, adios, and no, is one of the first words any new Spanish student learns. It’s something we say every day. We use it to answer questions, talk about our feelings, and communicate in general.

However, is not the only way of saying yes in Spanish. Spanish is a rich language, and there are many other words and phrases to express agreement. In fact, some of them can convey different nuances, like excitement or even politeness.

The Most Common Ways of Saying Yes in Spanish at a Glance

Spanish

English

Yes

Claro

Of course

Vale

Sure, cool

Ya

Okay

Bueno

All right, okay

Okey

Okay

The Most Common Ways of Saying Yes in Spanish

yes in spanish

Let’s start with the 6 most common ways of saying yes. The words in this section are all neutral and don’t have any formal implications. So you can be free to use these responses in any context, whether it is talking with friends or answering your boss.

Read next: 14 Ways to Say No in Spanish for Everyday Use

Sí – The Classic Yes in Spanish

This word is the literal translation of “yes” and it’s used exactly like the English word.

Note: vs si – the first has an accent on the “i” and the other does not. means yes, while si is a conditional word meaning “if”. The nice thing is that these two words are pronounced the same, but are just spelled differently. So you really just need to worry about this if you’re texting someone or writing an email.

Spanish

Carlos: ¿Estás estudiando español?
Mariana: Sí, hace cinco meses que estudio español.
Carlos: ¿Y te gusta?
Mariana: Sí, me encanta.

English

Carlos: Are you studying Spanish?
Mariana: Yes, I’ve been studying Spanish for the last five months.
Carlos: And do you like it?
Mariana: Yes, I love it.

Claro – Of course

Claro is another way of agreeing in Spanish. We can use it by itself or together with , as in sí, claro. Similar to English “of course”, it’s a bit more assertive than . Although sometimes it can be equivalent to English “sure”, in which case it’s pretty neutral. Let’s see an example of each usage:

Spanish

Mariana: ¿Vas a la fiesta el sábado?
Carlos: ¡Claro! No me la perdería por nada.

Mariana: ¿Me prestas un lápiz?Carlos: Claro, aquí tienes.

English

Mariana: Are you going to the party on Saturday?
Carlos: Of course! I wouldn’t miss it.

Mariana: Can I borrow a pencil
Carlos: Sure, here you go

Vale – Sure, cool

This interjection is used to express agreement or consent. It could be compared to English “sure” or “cool”. Vale is mostly used in Spain, but other Spanish-speaking countries have equivalent expressions, like va in Venezuela, and dale in Uruguay and Argentina.

Spanish

Mariana: ¿Vamos al cine mañana?
Carlos: Vale, ¿qué quieres ver?

English

Mariana: Shall we go to the movies tomorrow?
Carlos: Sure, what do you want to watch?

Ya – Okay

Ya is a little tricky as it has many different meanings. But in this article, we’ll focus on the way it can be used to agree about something. Ya can work as an equivalent to English “okay”.

Spanish

Carlos: ¿Podría traerme un jugo de naranja, por favor?
Mariana: Ya. ¿Algo más?

English

Carlos: Can I have orange juice, please?
Mariana: Okay. Anything else?

Bueno – All right, okay

This is another word with many uses in Spanish. When we use bueno to answer a question, it is equivalent to “all right” or “okay”. It can be pretty similar to vale, and it’s a bit less emphatic than claro. It can be hard to get these slight nuances at first, but with some practice and exposure, you’ll get them in no time.

Spanish

Carlos: ¿Quieres un poco más de vino?
Mariana: Bueno, pero solo un poco.

English

Carlos: Do you want some more wine?
Mariana: Okay, but just a little.

Okey – Okay

This word looks familiar, doesn’t it? Well, it’s because it comes from the English “okay”. It’s what in linguistics we know as a “loanword”: a word taken from another language that undergoes a process of naturalization (that explains why the Spanish word has en “e” instead of an “a”). Luckily, the usage is the same in both languages:

Spanish

Mariana: ¿Te parece si nos reunimos mañana a las 2 de la tarde en el tercer piso?
Carlos: Okey, te veo ahí.

English

Mariana: Shall we meet tomorrow at 2 p.m. on the 3rd floor?
Carlos: Okay, I’ll see you there.

Informal Ways to Say Yes in Spanish

Of course, if you want to be really fluent in Spanish, you need to be able to understand and use slang, especially to talk to your friends and to understand TV shows. Let’s check out the most common Spanish informal expressions you can use to say yes in Spanish.

SpanishEnglish
Sí pues Well yes
Ya po Yep
Sip Yup
Ajá Uh-huh
Guay Cool
Genial Cool
Pues claro / Pos claro Well, of course
Hecho Done
Obvio Obviously
Más vale Needless to say

Formal Ways to Say Yes in Spanish

If you are studying Spanish because you need it for work or want to sound a little more formal or professional, here are some expressions you can use.

SpanishEnglish
De acuerdo Agreed
Por supuesto Of course
Efectivamente Indeed
Ciertamente Most certainly
Cómo no Of course
A sus órdenes At your service

Enthusiastic Ways of Saying Yes in Spanish

Sometimes a simple is not enough. That’s why in this last section, we present the ways in which you can express your agreement enthusiastically

SpanishEnglish
Desde luego Of course
Indiscutiblemente Undeniably
Sin duda Undoubtedly
Obviamente Obviously
Share this:

Similar Posts