B2 · The finishing touches
The small words that set the tone
pues, bueno, vale, ya — your «well», «right», «OK», «look».
English opens half its sentences with a word that means nothing on its own: «well», «right», «so», «look», «I mean». Spanish has the same set and uses it just as heavily: pues, bueno, vale, hombre, ya, venga, a ver.
pues opens an answer and buys a second of thought — «well…». bueno introduces a reservation or half agrees, like «well, I suppose». vale is «OK» and is the commonest word of agreement in Spain. venga chivvies somebody along or ends a conversation: «come on then», «right, see you».
hombre and mujer are not forms of address. They are tone words, and ¡Hombre, claro! — «well, obviously» — is said to women as readily as to men. ya is the most versatile of the lot: already, now, at last, and «I get it».
Die Form
| opening an answer | Pues no sé qué decirte. |
| half agreeing | Bueno, puede ser. |
| agreeing | Vale, quedamos a las ocho. |
| chivvying, parting | ¡Venga, vamos! / Venga, hasta luego. |
| surprise | ¡Hombre, qué sorpresa! |
| already, at last | Ya voy. / Ya lo sé. |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
pues opens an answer.
Pues no me parece buena idea.Well, I do not think that is a good idea.
vale is the everyday «OK».
¿Nos vemos a las seis? — Vale.See you at six? — OK.
hombre and mujer are tone words, not address.
¡Hombre, no me digas!Well, you do surprise me!
ya means already, now or at last, depending on the sentence.
Ya está listo.It is ready now.
Woran man es erkennt
- pues
- bueno
- vale
- venga
- hombre
- ya
- a ver
- oye
Beispielsätze
Bueno, es que no tengo tiempo.Well, the thing is I have no time.
Venga, que llegamos tarde.Come on, we are going to be late.
A ver, explícamelo otra vez.Right, explain it to me again.
Ya no vive aquí.He does not live here any more.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
Pues yo creo que sí.Well, I think so.
Bueno, vale, lo haré.All right then, I will do it.
¡Venga ya, no me lo creo!Oh come on, I do not believe it!
A ver si nos vemos pronto.Let us see if we meet up soon.
Ya te lo dije ayer.I told you yesterday.
Oye, ¿tienes un momento?Listen, have you got a minute?
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
These words get left out, because they do not appear in textbooks and translate as filler. The sentence is then correct and sounds read aloud. The other half of the warning: vale is everywhere in Spain and hardly used in Latin America, where the same job goes to bueno, listo or dale.
Without these words every sentence is correct and none of them sounds spoken.
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