Does 'Sí, se puede' mean 'Yes, we can'?
The answer is yes and no.
To simplify things only a bit, "yes, we can" is not a literal translation of sí, se puede. In fact, there is no good literal (that is, word for word) translation of the phrase. Sí clearly means "yes," but se puede is problematic. "It can" comes close to its literal meaning but leaves out the vague sense of emphasis and/or completion that se provides.
So just what does se puede mean? Out of context, I'd probably translate it loosely as "it can be done." But context matters, and as part of a group chant the translation of "yes, we can" is entirely appropriate. Se puede is a phrase of empowerment (puede is a close cousin of el poder, a noun meaning "power"), and "we can" conveys that thought well.
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Couldn’t si se puede also be translated as Yes, it’s possible?
Sure, that’s another possibility, and there very seldom is an exact translation between two languages. Really, the context is key, and often there’s a meaning that can be determined only by the context.
If you ask me if humans will make it to Mars, and I answer, “It’s possible,” the meaning of those words will be different than if a group of people were to chant the words “It’s possible!” at a political demonstration. The words are the same, but the way they’re understood by the listener is different.
That’s why sometimes I think we shouldn’t get too hung up on how words should be translated. In legal and technical contexts, an exact (or exact as possible) translation is necessary. But in everyday life, there is almost always more than one way to get the idea across.
It comes from the UFW movement and the UFW site states:
Cesar Chavez always said “Si Se Puede”®–”it can be done”. Wear his logo with pride as you display your support for the UFW as we continue fighing for farm worker rights
Anyway…. “Sí, se puede” will ALWAYS mean in Spanish: “Yes, It’s allowed”.
Thanx
sorry… Just thinking about it again
-Yes, It’s possible
-Yes, It’s allowed
-Yes, It can be done
All of them can be used in Spanish… but the most used meaning is “It’s allowed”, just because “It can be done” is “Puede hacerse/Se puede hacer” and “It’s possible” is “Puede ser”… and I will never say “Se puede” when I mean “It’s possible”… this is more “Puede ser”…
Maybe in Southamerica they use that, but ABSOLUTELY not in Spain.
Thanxxx
Can “si se puede” in a Spanish sentence ever translate to “If it’s possible” in English? Does “Si se puede, por favor, ayudame” translate to “If possible, please, help me” ?
Yes it is…
But I’d say “Ayúdame si puedes, por favor”, (”Helpme if you can, please”)
The other way sounds a little bit silly
We shall overcome.
Does it mean that phrase “Se Puede” has a grammer error literally in itself. I mean coz the “Se” here does not play the same function as the one in reflexive verbs like “levantarse”. So can I say,”Poder” here is not a reflexible verb?
I think it’s funny how Hillary Clinton pronounces it jaja, but anyways it means “Yes it’s possible”.. Or at least that’s how I interpret it.
I think the most spanish way to say “Yes, we can” is “¡podemos!”, with a very spanish ellipsis of both the explicit affirmation and the subject, a well as the initial exclamation mark, to emphasize the sense and the spanish character.
The key word in “Si se puede” phrase is “Se”.”Se” is from the verb “To be”. In spanish “To be” can be:”Ser o Estar, depending on the use and circumstances. In English “To be ” is only “Being”. So if I say “I am Here” it means that I am physically here, but if I want to say to the world that that I practice law, I say “I am a lawyer”, I will use “I am” always. In spanish you say ” Estoy aqui” y “Soy un Abogado”. Notice how the verb “To be” reflects more clarity and in spanish. “Estoy” can be used to declare where you physically are or how your feelings inside of you are: “Estoy enojado” “I am Mad”. “Soy” on the other hand is a more powerful word.”Soy Americano” “Soy Democrata”.Going back to the sentence “Si se puede”, it is actually meaning that something very, very difficult to do, but not impossible. For example you want your mechanic to fix your car, but you don’t have the part, you ask the mechanic, Can you fix it without the part? He will probably answer “Si se puede” but eventually you will have to replace the part. The phrese “Si se puede” has become very popular in the last ten years with the Mexican National Soccer Team, all the mexicans support their team by singing in the stadiums ” Si se puede, si se puede”. It has been adopted by many Central and South american teams also, and now has been adopted by the Democrat Party for the Obama campaign.
Sorry Esteban (Estteban?) but “se” does not come from the verb “ser” that is “to be”. Only when you refer to afirmative imperative for the “you” (colloquial) which is “tú”, the conjugation is “sé” but with a “tilde” (accentuation mark).
“Se” may be used as a reflexive or reciprocal pronoun, as indirect object instead of “le/les” when followed of a direct object, as a passiev voice particle, or the impersonal “se” particle.
‘Si, se puede’ is third person singular.
Surely, then, this is equivalent to “Yes, one can” which is an acceptable phrase in British “Queens” English.
For example, a person might express the following during a conversation “One often loves to walk in the garden, particularly in warm weather”
I totally agree with you Michael in the explanation of “Se”, but I firmly know that in the phrase we are talking about here, “SE” comes from the verb “Ser”, not as verb, but in the powerful meaning of the word itself.
Sorry, estteban, but that doesn’t make any sense. There is no connection at all between “se” and “ser”, in this context or in any other, beyond the use of the imperative form “sé” (which makes no sense at all in this context). This sounds like a folk etymology at best.
Yes, “se” and “ser” have no connection at all. You might be confusing it with sé (with an accent), which IS related to ser.
doesnt it mean “yes, one can” like in the translation of “como se dice”?
Michal and Alex: that makes a lot of sense. Thinking about it “podemos” wouldn’t make much sense, because it would be taking about a specific group of people. “Se puede” would actually make much more sense, as you’re talking about people in general.
Michael: That type of sentence in which “one” is used to reflect the views of the writer/speaker always irritates me. “One” should refer to people in general and to use it to refer to yourself seems terribly pretentious.