Say only what's new
Ellipsis means leaving something out: part of the sentence is missing because everyone knows it from the context. In conversation, usually only the new element is left, such as a time, a person or a sí. If you repeat whole sentences instead, you sound like a textbook or even irritated.
Full and elliptical
Full - stiff
A
¿Vienes a la cena?
Are you coming to dinner?
B
Sí, voy a ir a la cena ahora.
Yes, I am going to come to dinner now.
Elliptical - natural
A
¿Vienes a la cena?
Are you coming to dinner?
B
Sí, ahora.
Yes, coming.
Answering questions
The answer silently takes the verb and object from the question. Only the information asked for remains. Follow-up questions with ¿Y ...? drop the verb too. Unlike English, Spanish has no short answer with an auxiliary like Yes, I have: you answer with sí or with the new element.
A
¿Cuándo vuelves de Lisboa?
When are you back from Lisbon?
B
El lunes, si no hay huelga.
On Monday, if there's no strike.
A
¿Y tu hermana?
And your sister?
B
En Londres, trabajando en un hospital.
In London, working at a hospital.
A
¿Has terminado el informe?
Have you finished the report?
B
Casi.
Almost.
Ordering and sharing out
At the bar, and wherever tasks get shared out, you just name the person and the thing. The verb appears once or not at all. Where it's missing, a short pause marks the gap; in writing, a comma.
Para mí, un cortado. Y ella, una caña.
A cortado for me. And a small beer for her.
Yo, café. Él, nada, que ya ha desayunado.
Coffee for me. Nothing for him, he's already had breakfast.
Yo pongo la música y tú, las bebidas.
I'll sort the music and you the drinks.
¿Para tomar aquí? – No, para llevar.
To have here? – No, to take away.
Agreeing and disagreeing
You react to a statement with a person + también, tampoco, sí or no. What matters is the form of the person: it follows the verb of the statement. With verbs like gustar, encantar or apetecer you use a mí, a ti, a él; otherwise yo, tú, él. English me too covers both, so this is where English speakers slip.
Short reactions
| Statement | Me too / me neither | Not me / I do |
|---|---|---|
| Trabajo mañana. | Yo también. | Yo no. |
| No tengo hambre. | Yo tampoco. | Yo sí. |
| Me encanta este barrio. | A mí también. | A mí no. |
| No me apetece salir. | A mí tampoco. | A mí sí. |
No me fío de ese taller. – Yo tampoco.
I don't trust that garage. – Me neither.
A Pablo no le gustó la película. – A mí sí.
Pablo didn't like the film. – I did.
