Have you ever needed to express your decision-making process in Spanish? Whether you're deciding what to order at a restaurant, choosing a career path, or making important life choices, knowing how to talk about making decisions in Spanish is essential for effective communication. Today, we'll explore the key vocabulary, verbs, and expressions that Spanish speakers use when making and discussing decisions.
The foundation of expressing decisions in Spanish starts with knowing the right verbs. Here are the most important ones you'll need:
This is the most direct verb for expressing decisions in Spanish.
Hoy he decidido hacer unas compras por el centro de la ciudad.
Today I've decided to do some shopping in the city's downtown.
Caption 2, Raquel Haciendo compras
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You can conjugate it in different tenses depending on when the decision was or will be made:
He decidido estudiar medicina. (I have decided to study medicine.)
Decidimos irnos de vacaciones este verano. (We decided to go on vacation this summer.)
Decidirán mañana quién será el nuevo gerente. (They will decide tomorrow who will be the new manager.)
When selecting between alternatives, "optar" is a perfect choice.
y los colegios han tenido que optar por el aprendizaje virtual
and schools have had to opt for virtual learning
Caption 37, El coronavirus Efectos y consecuencias
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This verb is typically followed by "por":
Optamos por quedarnos en casa. (We opted to stay home.)
Ha optado por un estilo de vida saludable. (He/She has opted for a healthy lifestyle.)
Opté por no decir nada en ese momento. (I chose not to say anything at that moment.)
"Elegir" is used when selecting from multiple options.
Eligieron esta vía porque el banco dispone de almacenes,
They chose this route because the bank has warehouses,
Caption 26, Los Reporteros Sembrar, comer, tirar - Part 3
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Let's see 'elegir' in action across different time frames:
Elegí el vestido rojo para la fiesta. (I chose the red dress for the party.)
Ellos eligieron un destino diferente. (They chose a different destination.)
Elegiremos al ganador la próxima semana. (We'll choose the winner next week.)
Beyond single verbs, Spanish offers many expressions for discussing decision-making processes:
tomé la decisión hace tiempo de reformar la terraza,
I made the decision some time ago to remodel the terrace,
Caption 33, Soledad El insomnio - Part 2
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This expression is widely used in both personal and professional contexts:
Tomé la decisión de mudarme a otro país. (I made the decision to move to another country.)
Tenemos que tomar una decisión pronto. (We have to make a decision soon.)
Han tomado la decisión de cerrar la empresa. (They have made the decision to close the company.)
Has hecho una buena elección.
You've made a good choice.
Caption 67, Fermín y Manuel El pasado - Part 1
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Let's see how to use this expression:
Hice una elección difícil pero necesaria. (I made a difficult but necessary choice.)
Tendremos que hacer una elección entre las dos opciones. (We'll have to make a choice between the two options.)
This phrase is perfect for decisions still in progress:
No me vengás con el cuento que estás pensando en trabajar,
Don't come to me with that story that you're thinking about working,
Caption 17, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 3 - Part 4
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Notice how this expression works in practice:
Estoy pensando en comprar un coche nuevo. (I'm thinking about buying a new car.)
Estamos pensando en cambiarnos de casa. (We're thinking about moving houses.)
Sometimes we're uncertain about what to choose. Here's how to express that:
Estoy indeciso entre estudiar medicina o ingeniería. (I'm undecided between studying medicine or engineering.)
Están indecisas sobre qué película ver. (They are undecided about which movie to watch.)
No puedo decidirme entre el azul o el verde. (I can't decide between blue or green.)
No se pueden decidir todavía. (They can't decide yet.)
When a choice has been made, these expressions come in handy:
Hemos llegado a la conclusión de que necesitamos más personal. (We've reached the conclusion that we need more staff.)
He tomado la determinación de seguir adelante con el proyecto. (I've made the determination to move forward with the project.)
Now you have the essential vocabulary and expressions to discuss making decisions in Spanish! From the initial thought process with "estar pensando en," to the moment of choice with "decidir" or "elegir," to expressing your final decision with "he tomado la decisión," you're equipped to navigate decision-related conversations with confidence.
Remember that like in any language, context is key. The formality of your situation might determine which expressions are most appropriate. In casual settings with friends, you might simply say "Creo que voy a..." (I think I'm going to...), while in business contexts, more formal expressions like "Hemos determinado que..." (We have determined that...) might be more suitable.
Don't forget to send us your questions and comments about decision-making vocabulary in Spanish!
Last year, we chose the word pandemia (pandemic) as the Spanish Word of the Year. This year, our choice was a bit predictable. In fact, after reading our lesson about The Spanish Word of the Year 2020, one of our users sent us a message with a very accurate prediction. The following are his words:
"Dear friends from Yabla,
The Spanish Word of the Year 2020 is pandemia. And the Spanish Word for the Year 2021 will be vacuna!
Thanks for all the work, take care and stay safe."
And yes! He was totally right! The Word of the Year 2021 is vacuna (vaccine). Let's hear how that word sounds in Spanish:
Espero que pronto puedan conseguir una vacuna y dar fin a esta situación.
I hope they can get a vaccine soon and end this situation.
Captions 17-18, El coronavirus La cuarentena en Coro, Venezuela - Part 2
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The Spanish word vacuna comes from the English word "vaccine," which in turn comes from the Latin word "vaccīnus," meaning "of or from a cow." In fact, there was a cow involved in the first ever vaccine: the smallpox vaccine developed by British scientist Edward Jenner.
Vacuna, however, wasn't the only trendy word this year. Just like last year, most of the runner-up words were related to the coronavirus pandemic, this year, some of our runners-up are linked to the word vacuna. Let's take a look at some of the other terms that defined 2021.
BY THE WAY, HAVE YOU SEEN OUR SPECIAL SERIES ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS? CHECK IT OUT!
y también a disminuir las dosis necesarias de insulina
and also to reduce the necessary doses of insulin
Caption 55, Los médicos explican Beneficios del ozono
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Keep in mind that because the word dosis is a paroxytone noun ending in "s," it has the same form in singular and plural:
la dosis (the dose)
las dosis (the doses)
For more about this topic, please check out our lesson about the rules for forming the plurals of nouns in Spanish.
La verdad es que no tiene, pues, ningún síntoma, pues, por ejemplo que tenga poco apetito,
The truth is that he doesn't have, well, any symptoms, well, for example if he has lack of appetite,
Captions 70-71, Animales en familia Un día en Bioparc: Microchip para Nacahué - Part 1
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As in the Delta or Omnicron variants.
Just recently, The Economist stated this: "it is time to face the world’s predictable unpredictability." It seem like impredecible is going to stay trendy for a little while. In the meantime, let's see how to say it:
Llueve, hace frío... frío, hace frío, llueve, todo... ah... aquí... es impredecible.
It rains, it's cold... cold, it's cold, it rains, everything... uh... Here... it's unpredictable.
Caption 27, Peluquería La Percha Félix
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If you have been following the conversation about how people are working nowadays, you know why this word is on this list. While some workers have gone back to the office, there are millions of people around the world whose work model is now a hybrid one that mixes on-site and off-site work. Along those lines, another trendy word is teletrabajo (telecommuting):
Por ejemplo, las compañías han tenido que acudir al teletrabajo para seguir con sus actividades productivas
For example, companies have had to resort to telecommuting to continue with their production activities,
Captions 35-36, El coronavirus Efectos y consecuencias
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And that wraps up Yabla's Spanish Word of the Year for 2021. Do you agree with our choice? Can you think of any other pertinent term(s) that we didn't mention? What is your prediction for next year's Word of the Year? Please feel free to share with us your comments and suggestions, and here's to hoping that 2022 is a better year!
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