It is common for English-speaking people to get confused with the meaning of the word ‘right’. One example would be the difference between ‘She is right’ and ‘It is right’. The first refers to a person being right, whereas the second refers to a thing or a situation being right.
This post will show you the many ways of expressing ‘right’ in Spanish.
1.-TENER RAZÓN (to be right)
We use ‘tienes razón’ (tú) or ‘tiene razón’ (usted) to agree with someone who has previously expressed an opinion on something. You may have heard people say in English that someone ‘has reason’ to believe something, and this is the literal meaning of that phrase in Spanish.
-Tenías razón. Deberíamos haber llevado el paraguas, está lloviendo.
-El primer ministro no tiene razón cuando habla del presupuesto a asuntos exteriores.
2.-SER CORRECTO (to be right)
Although this expression might look similar to the previous one based on its English translation, ser correcto does not revolve around somebody’s opinion. Rather, it refers to the situation or concept under discussion. For instance, the government might propose an economic policy, which could be seen as ‘right’. However, you would not use this phrase to refer to the minister who proposed the policy.
– La solución al problema de matemáticas es correcta.
–El enfoque al problema de la vivienda no es el correcto.
3.- ADECUADO/ A
You use adecuado or adecuada to express that someone or something matches a specific set of needs—so it’s just ‘right’. In fact, this word is similar to ‘adequate’ in English. When someone or something in Spanish is the ideal person or the most suitable thing or situation, it is said to be adecuado/a.
– Es el candidato adecuado para el puesto vacante. Tiene la experiencia profesional y la formación adecuadas.
4.- ESTAR BIEN
In Spanish, you would use está bien (it is right) when the person speaking wishes to express that something is morally correct or fair. An example might be saying that it is morally fair to pay people a good wage for their work.
-Las trampas en el deporte no están bien.
-Está bien hacer ejercicio y comer sano.
5.- ESTAR BIEN
We also have another phrase formed from the same verb: Estoy bien (I am (all) right). Even though this phrase has the same root verb, we would only use it to discuss somebody’s health as being ‘right’.
-No estoy muy bien. He estado unos días en el hospital.
6.- JUSTO
Justo means ‘right’ when the word ‘right’ is used for emphasizing. Here is an example below:
–Mi casa está justo en la plaza- My house is right in the square.
Furthermore, the phrases inmediatamente or ahora mismo can be translated as ‘right now’ or ‘right away’, and these are used when you wish to emphasize time.
-Ahora mismo te traigo el café.
7.- DERECHOS (RIGHTS)
You use derechos when referring to ‘rights’ in the legal and political sense; what you are entitled to under the law. Common examples would include human rights (derechos humanos), civil rights (derechos civiles), or women’s rights (derechos de la mujer).
8.- DERECHA
This word is similar to derechos, and it refers to the right side of something. You can use this word when providing directions or describing a location
-El parque se encuentra a la derecha de la escuela.
-Debes estirar el brazo derecho para esta postura de yoga.
9.-DERECHA
This word is the same as above, but it also has a second meaning: referring to the ‘right’ in a political sense. In English, we would translate this as ‘right-wing’, as the following example shows:
-La derecha está ganando terreno en este país.
Ser de Derechas means to be a right-wing person
El padre de Laura es de derechas-Laura´s father is a right wing person.
As you can see, the Spanish language has several different ways of expressing the word ‘right’. To ensure that you are understood by Spanish speakers, think about what you are trying to express based on the examples above. Then you will understand which Spanish version of ‘right’ to use. Good luck!
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