Adiós y gracias.
Goodbye and thank you.
Y ties two things into one breath, here a goodbye and a thank-you.
From Click: Perdiendo el control · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "and" in Spanish
y
conjunctionsounds like eebefore an i sound: e
"And" in Spanish is y, a single sound like the ee in "see": nombre y apellido. Before a word that starts with an i sound, it changes to e: padre e hijo, español e inglés.
Hear "y" in real movie scenes
Two short lines, each joining two words. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Sí y no.
Yes and no.
Y links two short answers when both are true at the same time.
From The Blacklist · Spanish audio
Y, e and other ways to use "and"
The word is tiny, but it shows up in questions, times and comebacks too.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| y | and | pan y agua, tú y yo |
| e | and, before an i sound | padre e hijo, español e inglés |
| ¿Y tú? | And you? What about you? | Soy de Madrid, ¿y tú? |
| y media, y cuarto | half past, quarter past | las dos y media, las tres y cuarto |
| ¿Y qué? | So what? | Casual, and it can sound blunt. |
Tip: The switch to e happens only before an i sound. Words that start with hie, like hielo, keep y: agua y hielo.
Grammar: y and e
Four rules for the shortest word you'll use all day.
One sound
As a word, y sounds like the ee in "see". It never sounds like English "why".Y becomes e
Before a word that starts with an i sound, spelled i- or hi-, use e: Juan e Isabel, madre e hija.Lists: y once, no comma
Put y only before the last item and skip the comma in front of it: pan, queso y vino.Y at the start
A question that starts with y moves the talk to the other person or the next point: ¿Y tú? ¿Y tu nombre?Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
nombre y apellido
first name and last name
Adiós y gracias.
Goodbye and thank you.
Un café y un té, por favor.
A coffee and a tea, please.
Hablo español e inglés.
I speak Spanish and English.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗español y inglés
✓español e inglés
Before an i sound, y becomes e.
✗pan, queso, y vino
✓pan, queso y vino
Spanish doesn't put a comma before the y at the end of a list.
✗WHY (pronunciation)
✓ee
The letter is called ye or i griega, but the word sounds like ee.
Real conversation: the class list
A short dialog with a classmate. Tap to listen.
You and your classmate Andrés are filling in the class name list together.
Oye, ¿tu apellido es García?
Hey, is your last name García?
No, es Gómez.
No, it's Gómez.
¡Ah, Gómez! ¿Y tu nombre?
Oh, Gómez! And your first name?
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 26 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Y sounds like the ee in see. Say tú y yo as too-ee-yo, and one small sound joins two people.
Questions about "and" in Spanish
How do you say and in Spanish?
Y, pronounced like the ee in "see". Before an i sound it becomes e.
When do you use e instead of y?
Before words that start with an i sound, spelled i- or hi-: padre e hijo, español e inglés. Before hie-, keep y: agua y hielo.
How do you say "and you?" in Spanish?
¿Y tú? To someone you call usted, say ¿Y usted?
How do you say or in Spanish?
O. Before an o sound it changes to u: siete u ocho.
