'Claro' Commonly Used To Show Agreement

Word Often Means 'Of Course' or 'Obviously'

drinking glass breaking
Claro que esto no es bueno. (Clearly this isn't good.). Tiago Pádua/Creative Commons.

Other than , the word for "yes," claro is the word most commonly used in Spanish for expressing agreement, either with something someone has said or with a statement expressed earlier by the speaker. As an intensifier, claro can be translated in a variety of ways, depending on the context. Common translations include "of course," "evidently," "obviously" and "yes." In such usages claro usually functions as a sentence adverb or an interjection.

Claro also has uses as an adjective and noun.

Claro as an Adverb or Interjection

When expressing the idea of obviousness or certainty, claro frequently is followed by que. However, it can also be used in other ways as shown in the examples .

Note that as an adverb or interjection, claro always takes the form of claro; there is no change for gender.

  • Claro que esto no es bueno. (Clearly this isn't good.)
  • Claro que no todo es un lecho de rosas. (Obviously not everything is a bed of roses.)
  • Sí, claro, quiero saber dónde estás, cómo estás. (Yes, of course, I want to know where you are, how you are.)
  • — ¿Me reconoces? — ¡Claro que sí! ("Do you recognize me?" "Of course!")
  • ¡Claro que no puedes! (Of course you can't!)
  • Claro que tienes pruebas. (Surely you have proof.)
  • ¡Claro que no! (Of course not!)
  • ¿Salimos? ¡Claro! (Are we leaving? Sure!)
  • Sabemos lo que sabemos, claro. (We know what we know, evidently.)
  • Nunca lo creí, pero ahora lo veo claro. (I never believed it, but now I see it clearly.)

Claro as an Adjective

As an adjective, claro varies in form with number and gender. It has a variety of meanings including "light in color," "clear," "evident," "weak" or "thin" (in the sense of being watered down), and "frank."

Either "Está claro que" or "Es claro que" can be used as the equivalent of "It is clear that." The former tends to be more common in Spain, the latter in Latin America.

  • El cristalino es la parte clara del ojo que ayuda a enfocar la luz. (The lens is the clear part of the eye that helps focus light.)
  • Muchas personas prefieren las explicaciones más claras. (Many people prefer the simplest explanations.)
  • Está claro que vamos a sufrir. (It is obvious we are going to suffer.)
  • No es claro que pueda sortear este problema sin ayuda. (It is not clear that she can navigate this problem without help.)
  • La pulpa de esta fruta es verde claro y muy dulce. (This fruit's pulp is light green and very sweet.)
  • Quiero comprender, pero no es clara la oración. (I want to understand it, but the sentence isn't clear.)
  • La solución filtrada adquiere consistencia de jarabe claro con película viscosa en la superficie. (The filtered solution acquires the consistency of clear syrup with a thick film on the surface.)
  • La actriz es muy clara sobre su vida amorosa. (The actress is very frank about her love life.)

Claro as a Noun

Un claro is a clearing (as in a forest) or some other kind of empty space.

  • Los fotos muestran un claro en la jungla con árboles ennegrecidos por el fuego. (The photos show a clearing in the jungle with trees blackened by the fire.)
  • Se abrió un claro entre las nubes. (A break in the clouds opened up.)
  • Hay un claro en la pared para las ventanas. (There is an opening in the wall for the windows.)

Moonlight is claro de luna. El claro de luna era nuestra mejor compañía. (The moonlight was our best company.)

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Erichsen, Gerald. "'Claro' Commonly Used To Show Agreement." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/claro-commonly-used-to-show-agreement-3078362. Erichsen, Gerald. (2023, April 5). 'Claro' Commonly Used To Show Agreement. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/claro-commonly-used-to-show-agreement-3078362 Erichsen, Gerald. "'Claro' Commonly Used To Show Agreement." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/claro-commonly-used-to-show-agreement-3078362 (accessed March 29, 2024).