How to say “If I were you…” in Spanish Posted by Adir on Jul 7, 2011 in Spanish Grammar
We all want to give our opinion about something and sometimes people ask us for advice, so today I’m going to show you a very interesting way of expressing this: Yo que tú.
Yo que tú means “if I were you” and it can be used with other pronouns too. Check out some examples:
Yo que tú le diría que me gusta mucho, que quieres que salgan juntos.
If I were you I’d tell him you like him a lot, that you want you guys to go out together.
Yo que Ana no le volvería a hablar jamás.
If I were Ana I’d never talk to him again.
Yo que ustedes me iría este fin de semana a la playa a descansar.
If I were you guys I’d go to the beach to rest this weekend.
Yo que la profesora ya me habría desesperado.
If I were the teacher I’d have been desperate by now.
Yo que usted elegíria el más barato. Son prácticamente iguales y cuesta la mitad.
If I were you (formal) I’d buy the cheaper one. Thy’re practically the same and it costs half the price.
Yo que Sara y Antonio habría ido a España. Es más interesante.
If I were Sara and Antonio I’d have gone to Spain. It’s more interesting.
Yo que tú le habría dicho que sí, que también a mí…
If I were you I’d have said yes, that me too…
Esto es todo por hoy. Nos vemos prontito.
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About the Author: Adir
English / Spanish teacher and translator for over 20 years. I have been blogging since 2007 and I am also a professional singer in my spare time.
Comments:
Phil:
This is fine in colloquial Spanish. Have you posted the formal (“correct”) form elsewhere?
David Carmona:
@Phil La expresión en sí no es coloquial ni incorrecta, la diferencia de registro la marca el pronombre. Para una versión más formal, simplemente hay que sustituir “tú” por “usted”.