Spoken Spanish: discourse markers, fillers, politeness
Pues, bueno, o sea, vale, ¿no?: how Spanish speakers really talk.
| Marker | Function | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| pues | starting an answer, hesitation | well… |
| bueno | changing topic, compromise | well, OK… |
| vale (Spain) / dale, órale (Lat. Am.) | agreement | OK, sure |
| o sea | rephrasing, clarifying | I mean, like |
| ¿no? / ¿verdad? | checking | right? isn't it? |
| mira / oye | getting attention | look / listen, hey |
| venga | encouraging or wrapping up | come on / right then |
| es que… | excuse | the thing is… |
Politeness
Spanish (especially in Spain) is more direct than English: Ponme un café (Give me a coffee) is perfectly polite in a bar, and constant «please» and «thank you» can sound over-formal. Latin America uses more softening: ¿Me regala un café?, ¿Sería tan amable de…?
- Pues no sé, es que no me apetece mucho salir.Well, I don't know, the thing is I don't really feel like going out.
- Mañana a las diez, ¿vale? – Vale, venga, hasta mañana.Tomorrow at ten, OK? – OK, right then, see you tomorrow.
Test yourself
-
How do you say «OK» in Spain?
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vale -
What does «es que…» introduce?
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an excuse / explanation -
What does «o sea» mean?
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I mean -
Is «Ponme una cerveza» rude in a Spanish bar?
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No, it's perfectly natural.