How to Say “Yes” in Spanish. Look at These Different Ways

As in English slang, in Spanish we have many ways of saying yes, and like all other expressions, each statement depends on the moment and the person we are talking to. In this article, I present the different ways of saying yes in Spanish, both formal and informal, as well as in which countries they are used. 

‘Of course’ in Spanish

The different variations of “of course” in Spanish are claro que sí, por supuesto y desde luego. All three have something in common and that is that besides being exclamatory statements, they correspond to the forms of saying yes in Spanish most used in all countries, both in formal and informal situations. 

‘Okay’ in Spanish

Other ways of saying yes in Spanish are está bien and bueno, being neutral affirmative responses and popularly used throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In most cases, they correspond to responses to different commands, as follows:

‘All right’ in Spanish

The usual forms of “all right” in Spanish are de acuerdo, vale, dale and sale. While de acuerdo has a versatile and widespread use in all Spanish-speaking countries as the previous expressions, the same is not true for these last three. 

The use of de acuerdo can be exclamatory or neutral, it all depends on our tone of voice and whether we are answering a question or a command, like this:

As for vale, sale and dale, each one is used in different countries in a colloquial and everyday way. Vale is common in Mexico and Spain, sale in Mexico and dale in other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela, and many others. 

 They also serve to suggest, propose and invite, as follows:

‘Done’ in Spanish

Expressions such as dalo por hecho! and hecho! are also ways of saying yes in Spanish. They are used to affirm an action or order, having a similar usage to de acuerdo. Attempts to express affirmation or confirmation about a specific event, in this way:

‘Correct’ in Spanish

This is also a slightly more formal or technical statement, used in work and academic settings. Widely used in all countries, correcto always answers questions, and can also suggest hesitation at the end of a sentence, like this:

‘Perfect’ in Spanish

On the other hand, perfect is an expressive affirmation of pleasure that, like correcto, is used in academic, work and formal environments. It works to approve some action and even to congratulate, in this way:

Other similar, standard and well-known statements to say yes in Spanish are the following:

All of the expressions above can be used in both formal and everyday situations.

Next, I want to discuss different ways of saying yes in Spanish in mostly informal settings which have a slightly more slangish element to them.

‘Yup’ and ‘Yep’ in Spanish

The equivalent of yup or yep in Spanish is Simón because although this is a very common first name throughout the Spanish-speaking world, it is also an idiomatic expression which many young people and cooler adults have adopted. It is used in a select group of Latin American countries, including Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, Colombia and Bolivia. 

Another more extended way of ‘yup’ and ‘yep’

‘Sip’ and ‘Sipo’ is a recent colloquialism that emerged among young people with the use of social networks. It is the literal translation of ‘yep’ and ‘yup’ and is another way of saying yes in Spanish in one of the most informal ways there is. Being a term that others may perceive as “too cute” in conversations between young people, it is often seen written or texted, so adults probably won’t understand it if it is used in a conversation with them.

‘Uh-huh’ in Spanish

The Spanish word for ‘uh-huh’ or ‘Mmhmm’ is Ajá. It is used when we are busy or distracted, however, by varying the tone of voice it can also mean a lack of respect indicating indifference towards the person who is speaking to us. 

Arre 

In Mexico and Spain they use arre as they use vale and its variants dale and sale. It is used to affirm and show agreement to a statement, taking into account that it is a colloquial word among young Spanish speakers and that when addressing adults they will probably not understand it.

Conclusion

Now that we have reviewed the best expressions and ways of saying yes in Spanish, put them into practice and have fun learning more about the different expressions of each region. This will be especially useful if you want to go on vacation to a Spanish-speaking country.