How to Say ‘Excuse me, is that book by Juan Rulfo?’ in Mexican Spanish
Disculpa, ¿ese libro es de Juan Rulfo?
dees-KOOL-pah EH-seh LEE-broh ess deh hwahn ROOL-foh
[dees-KOOL-pah EH-seh LEE-broh ess deh hwahn ROOL-foh]
💬 Usage Tip: Disculpa is the friendly version for someone your age. With an older stranger, say disculpe.
Phrase Breakdown
Disculpa,
dees-KOOL-pah
Excuse me,
This is the informal, polite way to start talking to someone. Stress dis-CUL-pa.
Disculpa, ¿qué hora es?
Excuse me, what time is it?
Words in this phrase
Disculpa
[dees-KOOL-pah]
excuse me
Informal way to get someone's attention or apologize, from 'disculpar'.
Disculpa, ¿está libre este lugar?
Excuse me, is this seat free?
¿ese libro
EH-seh LEE-broh
that book
'Ese' means 'that' and refers to something near the listener. Pronounce it E-se LI-bro.
Ese libro es nuevo.
That book is new.
Words in this phrase
ese
[EH-seh]
that
Refers to a specific previously mentioned day.
"ese" fue el día en que hablamos de oportunidades laborales.
that was the day we talked about job opportunities.
libro
[LEE-broh]
book
Masculine noun for a book.
Compré un libro nuevo.
I bought a new book.
es de Juan Rulfo?
ess deh hwahn ROOL-foh
is by Juan Rulfo?
'Es de' here means 'is by'. Juan Rulfo is a famous Mexican author. Trill the 'r' in Rulfo.
Pedro Páramo es de Juan Rulfo.
Pedro Páramo is by Juan Rulfo.
Words in this phrase
es
[ess]
is
Third-person singular of “ser,” used to describe what something is like.
En la pregunta «¿Cómo es...?», «es» pide una descripción.
In the question “What is ... like?”, “es” asks for a description.
de
[deh]
by / with
Indicates the manner of the action.
Fue gol de tiro libre.
It was a free-kick goal.
Juan
[hwahn]
Juan (name)
Common male first name, Spanish for John.
Juan es mi amigo.
Juan is my friend.
Rulfo
[ROOL-foh]
Rulfo (surname)
Surname of the famous Mexican writer of Pedro Páramo.
Rulfo escribió Pedro Páramo.
Rulfo wrote Pedro Páramo.
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