sí

/see/

AdverbA1

yes?General agreement or affirmation

Also:indeed?For emphasis,it is?Answering a negative question

📝 In Action

¿Quieres un café? —Sí, por favor.

Do you want a coffee? —Yes, please.

¿Eres de México? —Sí, soy de Guadalajara.

Are you from Mexico? —Yes, I'm from Guadalajara.

Creía que no vendrías. —¡Pero sí he venido!

I thought you wouldn't come. —But I did come!

Esto sí que es un problema.

Now this really is a problem.

Related Words

Synonyms

claro (of course)
por supuesto (of course)
efectivamente (indeed, effectively)

Antonyms

no (no)

Common Collocations

decir que sí – to say yes
claro que sí – yes, of course
sí o sí – no matter what, for sure

Idioms & Expressions

un sí es no es – a tiny bit, slightly

💡 Grammar Points

The Magic Accent Mark

The little line over the 'i' (the accent) is very important! 'Sí' with an accent means 'yes'. Without it, 'si' means 'if'. They sound the same but have totally different jobs.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up 'sí' and 'si'

Mistake: "¿Si quieres ir al cine?"

Correction: To answer a question positively, always use the accent: 'Sí, quiero ir al cine.' Use 'si' (no accent) for 'if' situations: 'Si tengo tiempo, voy al cine.'

⭐ Usage Tips

Adding Emphasis

You can use 'sí que' to add extra emphasis, like saying 'really' or 'indeed' in English. For example, '¡Sí que hace frío!' means 'It really is cold!'

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: sí

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'sí' to mean 'for himself'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

si(if) - conjunction

así(like this, so) - adverb

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the absolute most important difference between 'sí' and 'si'?

The accent mark! It changes the entire meaning. 'Sí' with an accent means 'yes' or refers to a person ('himself'). 'Si' without an accent means 'if'.

When do I use 'se' and when do I use 'sí' for reflexive actions?

Think about where it is in the sentence. 'Se' comes right before the verb (e.g., 'él se viste' - he gets dressed). 'Sí' comes after a short connecting word (a preposition) like 'para', 'a', or 'de' (e.g., 'habla para sí' - he talks to himself).

Can 'sí' be plural?

Yes, but only when it's used as a noun meaning 'an approval' or 'a yes vote'. In that case, the plural is 'síes'. For example, 'La propuesta recibió muchos síes' (The proposal received many 'yes' votes).