In Other Words in Spanish

Phrases To Help You Explain Yourself

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In everyday conversation, it is common to rephrase what we say, perhaps to add a nuance of meaning, perhaps to make ourselves easier to understand. When doing so, we often use a phrase such as "in other words," "to put it another way" or, more formally, "that is to say."

Similar phrases are used in Spanish. Here are five of the common ones along with examples of their use:

5 Common "In Other Words" Phrases

en otros términos

  • En otros términos, cesó la controversia. (In other words, the controversy ended.) La relación entre la generación adulta mayor y los niños — o, en otros términos, entre abuelos y nietos — siempre constituyó para Lila Villalba un tema especial en su vida profesional. (The relationship between the older adult generation and the children — or, in other words, between grandparents and grandchildren — always was a special subject in the professional life of Lila Villalba.)

dicho de otra manera

  • O dicho de otra manera, piensan que la muerte sólo conduce a la nada. (Or, in other words, they think that death leads only to nothingness.) Dicho de otra manera, si la distancia aumenta 2 veces, la fuerza aumenta 2 veces. (Said another way, if the distance doubles, the force doubles.)

en otras palabras

  • En otras palabras la fuente no tiene que estar instalada para que el usuario vea correctamente el archivo. (In other words, the source does not have to be installed for the user to correctly see the file.) Creo en otras palabras que lo que Lula intentará hacer es modernizar el país. (I believe, in other words, that what Lula will try to do is modernize the country.)

es decir

  • Quien controla el agua controla la vida, es decir el poder. (The one who controls the water controls life, that is to say, controls the power.) El Homo sapiens sapiens — es decir, nosotros — surgió de la cadena evolutiva hace tan sólo unos 45 mil años. (Homo sapiens sapiens — that means us — sprung forth from the evolutionary chain only some 45,000 years ago.)

o sea

  • Véase el FAQ, o sea, las preguntas más usuales). (See the FAQ, that is to say, the most frequently asked questions.) El capitalismo es un sistema social, o sea una forma como en una sociedad están organizadas las cosas y las personas. (Capitalism is a social system, meaning a way in which things and people are organized in a society.)
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Erichsen, Gerald. "In Other Words in Spanish." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/in-other-words-spanish-3079436. Erichsen, Gerald. (2023, April 5). In Other Words in Spanish. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/in-other-words-spanish-3079436 Erichsen, Gerald. "In Other Words in Spanish." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/in-other-words-spanish-3079436 (accessed March 29, 2024).