How to Say ‘Actually, the jacket was my dad's.’ in Mexican Spanish
Fíjate que la chamarra era de mi papá.
FEE-hah-teh keh lah chah-MAH-rrah EH-rah deh mee pah-PAH
[FEE-hah-teh keh lah chah-MAH-rrah EH-rah deh mee pah-PAH]
🇲🇽 In Mexico: Sharing a personal story behind a compliment is a good sign. It means the compliment landed and they're opening up.
Phrase Breakdown
Fíjate que
FEE-hah-teh keh
Guess what / You know what
A Mexican way to introduce news. Stress the first syllable: FÍ-ja-te.
Fíjate que me cambié de casa.
Guess what, I moved.
Words in this phrase
Fíjate
[FEE-hah-teh]
guess what / get this
From 'fijarse'; used to introduce surprising info.
Fíjate que me cambié de casa.
Guess what, I moved.
que
[keh]
that
Used to specify something.
Muéstrame 'lo que' compraste.
Show me 'what' you bought.
la chamarra
lah chah-MAH-rrah
the jacket
'Chamarra' means jacket in Mexico. Roll the RR: cha-MA-rra.
Ponte la chamarra, hace frío.
Put on your jacket, it's cold.
Words in this phrase
la
[lah]
the
Feminine singular definite article used before a feminine noun.
La frase «La cultura de trabajo» empieza con «La».
The phrase “The work culture” begins with “La.”
chamarra
[chah-MAH-rrah]
jacket
Mexican word for a jacket.
Mi chamarra es negra.
My jacket is black.
era de mi papá.
EH-rah deh mee pah-PAH
was my dad's.
'Era' (was) plus 'de mi papá' (my dad's) describes past ownership.
La casa era de mi abuela.
The house was my grandma's.
Words in this phrase
era
[EH-rah]
it was
Past (imperfect) of 'ser' for third person.
La casa era muy grande.
The house was very big.
de
[deh]
of
A preposition that links nouns, often meaning “of” or “about.”
En «cultura de trabajo», «de» conecta las dos ideas.
In “work culture,” “de” connects the two ideas.
mi
[mee]
My
Possessive adjective used to indicate ownership.
Este vino es mi favorito.
This wine is my favorite.
papá
[pah-PAH]
dad
An informal and common word for father in Spanish.
Mi papá quiere ver la final conmigo.
My dad wants to watch the final with me.
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