The Spanish verb tocar is one of those versatile verbs that can be used in many different contexts. From its basic meaning of "to touch" to its musical and metaphorical uses, let's explore the various ways to use this common Spanish verb.
In its most basic form, tocar means "to touch" or "to feel something with your hands." Let's see an example:
"María le tocó la frente a su hijo para ver si tenía fiebre".
"Maria touched her son's forehead to see if he had a fever."
Caption 17, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Tocar is also used when talking about knocking on doors or ringing doorbells:
No me animaba a tocar la puerta.
I didn't dare to knock on the door.
Caption 26, Yago 9 Recuperación - Part 10
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One of the most common uses of tocar is in reference to playing musical instruments:
Con el cantautor cubano Silvio Rodríguez aprendí a tocar la guitarra de una manera diferente
With the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez, I learned to play the guitar in a different manner
Captions 54-55, Luis Guitarra Influencias musicales - Part 1
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Tocar can also refer to performing or playing specific pieces of music:
"Ese grupo siempre toca las mismas canciones".
"That group always plays the same songs."
Caption 29, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Tocar can be used to express that something has emotionally moved or touched someone:
"La poesía que mi hijo escribió para mí me tocó el alma".
"The poetry that my son wrote for me touched my soul."
Caption 44, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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When talking about bringing up or discussing topics, tocar is commonly used:
Mire, no hablamos del caso, ni siquiera tocamos el tema.
Look, we didn't talk about the case, we didn't even touch the topic.
Caption 28, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 12
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Ah, pues, qué bueno, señor, que usted tocó el tema porque es que yo ya no quiero seguir siendo guardaespaldas
Oh, well, how good, sir, that you touched on the topic because it's just that I don't want to keep being a bodyguard anymore,
Captions 8-9, Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal Capítulo 1 - Part 9
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One of the most frequent uses of tocar is to express that it's someone's turn to do something. Let's see an example:
"Yo ya vine esta mañana y cogí hora para las doce. Así que, ahora me toca a mí".
"I already came this morning, and I made an appointment for twelve. So, now it's my turn."
Captions 30-32, Aprendiendo con Silvia La cabina
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This structure "tocar + a + person" is commonly used to indicate whose turn it is in:
- Games: Me toca tirar los dados (It's my turn to roll the dice)
- Tasks: Te toca lavar los platos (It's your turn to wash the dishes)
- Sequences: Les toca a ustedes presentar (It's your turn to present)
In Spanish, tocar is often used to describe situations where circumstances force an action or where something becomes unavoidable. This usage is particularly common in Latin American Spanish. Let's see an example:
dígale que me llamaron y que me tocó salir urgente.
tell him that they called me, and I had to leave urgently.
Caption 11, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 11
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Sí, sí, es que como no me dejaron parquear por aquí me tocó dejar el carro por allá bien lejos.
Yes, yes, it's just that, as they didn't let me park around here, I had to leave the car over there quite far away.
Captions 78-79, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 3 - Part 10
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This construction with tocar implies not just obligation, but often suggests that external circumstances or events made the action necessary. It's different from other Spanish verbs of obligation like deber or tener que because it carries an additional sense of inevitability or resignation to circumstances.
In sports, particularly soccer/football, tocar means to pass the ball:
"Iniesta le tocó la pelota a Messi y el jugador argentino quedó solo frente al portero".
"Iniesta passed the ball to Messi and the Argentine player ended up alone in front of the goalie."
Captions 49-50, Carlos explica Vocabulario: El verbo “tocar”
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Tocar is commonly used when talking about what might happen or what one might receive, especially when the outcome is uncertain or determined by chance or external factors. Let's see an example:
Tengo mucha curiosidad a ver qué me toca hoy.
I'm really curious to see what I'll get today.
Caption 12, Cleer y Carolina Adivinar alimentos - Part 1
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That's it for today's lesson on the Spanish verb tocar. As you can see, this versatile verb has many uses beyond its basic meaning of "to touch." Practice using tocar in different contexts to sound more natural in Spanish. Don't forget to write us with your questions and comments!
Did you know that the Spanish words sí (which usually means "yes") and si (which typically means "if") can also serve to make utterances more emphatic? Today's lesson will explore this topic.
Like English words such as "do" or did," "really," or "indeed," the Spanish word sí (yes) can be employed to add emphasis. For example, when someone says you didn't do something, you might reply in English, "I did do it," "I really did it," or "I did it indeed." Similarly, in Spanish, you can use the word sí (with an accent) to retort: Yo sí lo hice (I did do it).
Like the aforementioned words, this use of sí has a purely emphatic effect. While you could say simply Yo lo hice (I did it), Spanish speakers commonly add this sí to emphasize that fact. Let's look at some additional examples:
Ah claro, ahora sí lo entiendo hija, ¡qué torpe soy!
Oh, of course, now I do understand it, girl. How clumsy I am!
Caption 57, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 7
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Uy, si piensan arreglar con ese tipo, la cosa sí va a estar dura.
Oh, if you're thinking of settling with that guy, the matter's really going to be tough.
Caption 11, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 8
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¡Guau! Eso sí que era divertido
Wow! That was fun indeed,
Caption 36, Aprendiendo con Silvia Recuerdos de infancia - Part 2
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Note that, as in the last example, this emphatic sí is often accompanied by the word que.
The Spanish word si, without the accent, which usually means "if," can also be used at the beginning of a phrase to give extra emphasis or oomph to assertions or expressions of doubt. This emphatic si is a bit less intuitive for English speakers because, as it does not introduce a conditional clause like si and "if" typically do, translating it as "if" would simply not make sense in most cases. For this reason, this emphatic si is often not reflected in translations at all. Let's look at a couple of examples.
No, si yo ya sé que Nicolás de eso no va a ver ni un peso.
No, I already know that Nicolás is not going to see even one peso out of that.
Caption 21, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 4 - Part 11
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Andrea... Andrea, si vos sabés que yo soy fiel a muerte.
Andrea... Andrea, you know that I am faithful to death.
Caption 67, Muñeca Brava 45 El secreto - Part 4
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Since the word "but" can also serve to add emphasis in English in similar utterances, translators sometimes opt to translate the emphatic si with that word, like in the following example:
Si yo lo estoy diciendo hace rato ya, hombre.
But I've been saying it for a while already, man.
Caption 71, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 4
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That said, as the word "but" won't always seem "just right" in sentences that include the emphatic si, the most important thing is to remember is that its function is to add this emphatic feeling, even when there is no tangible translation.
While it might seem initially confusing, we hope that this lesson has helped you to understand how the words sí and si can occasionally depart from their traditional meanings in order to add emphasis to certain phrases. Having said that, sí que pueden escribirnos con sus dudas y comentarios (you can definitely write us with your questions and comments)!
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