Spanish for English speakers Zoo · Lesson 5

What do you mean?

Ask 'what do you mean?' in Spanish — ¿Qué quieres decir con eso? — when someone says something surprising or unclear.

Conversation

  1. Cassian Cassian

    ¡Quiero comprar un mono!

    I want to buy a monkey!

  2. PX296 PX296

    Espera. ¿Qué quieres decir con eso?

    One moment. What do you mean?

    Tip: <Espera> literally means "Wait"

  3. Cassian Cassian

    O sea, un mono de peluche.

    I mean a stuffed animal.

    Tip: <O sea> = That is/What I mean is <peluche> = plush/ stuffed

  4. PX296 PX296

    Aaaah, ¡un mono de peluche!

    Aaaah, a stuffed one!

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you ask 'what do you mean?' in Spanish?

¿Qué quieres decir? or more specifically ¿Qué quieres decir con eso? = 'what do you mean by that?'. Querer decir = 'to mean'.

Spanish for 'wait a moment'?

Espera (informal sg.) or Espere (formal). Espera un momento = 'wait a moment'. Un momento alone is also common.

How do you express I want to buy something?

Quiero comprar + noun: quiero comprar un libro, quiero comprar una bicicleta. Comprar = to buy.