DON’T Say POR SUPUESTO, say THESE 11 Alternatives Instead!

Hello, hello! Today, we’ll look at alternatives to saying “por supuesto” (of course.) Not because there’s anything wrong with that, but because this idea has many nuances and, therefore, many options to convey exactly what you mean.

I’m Spring Spanish teacher, Maura. Are you ready? ¡Claro! (Of course!)

1. Claro

ACTOR 1
¿Te parece si lo hacemos así?
(Are you ok with doing it like this?)

ACTOR 2
¡Claro!
(Of course!)

So, claro is the simplest way to say por supuesto. It’s short, clear, and easy to remember. Take into account that claro also means something that is, clear or light. For example, you could say:

• El cielo está claro. (The sky is clear.)
• Necesito un jean azul claro. (I need jeans that are light blue.)

The situations in which you’d say claro with this meaning are so specific that you really do not need to worry about any type of confusion.

Another thing you could do with claro is add the word está (is) right after. This claro está (it is clear) is a much more formal expression you’ll most likely find in writing. Things like:

ACTOR 1
Claro está que las condiciones climáticas son alarmantes para el planet.
(It’s clear that climatic conditions are alarming for the planet.)

Now, stick with me all the way until the end of this video for a younger, maybe cooler, definitely trendier alternative to all of this!

2. Desde luego & seguro (Certainly & sure)

ACTOR 1
Desde luego podemos posponer la reunión hasta mañana, pero no sin antes delegar responsabilidades.
(We can certainly postpone the meeting until tomorrow, but not before delegating responsibilities.)

ACTOR 2
Seguro. Hagamos eso y nos vamos. Yo puedo encargarme del presupuesto, por ejemplo.
(Sure. Let's do that and go. I can take care of the budget, for example.)

This type of pseudo formal environments suit well with desde luego (certainly). It isn’t really a chunk I hear daily. Nonetheless, it isn’t weird or super formal, and you can certainly use it if it fits your personality to be a bit more proper when speaking regardless of the context.

Seguro (sure), on the other hand, is quite versatile. I use this very often. Especially when I want to reassure the person listening. But it can easily be used by anyone in everyday situations, like someone saying:

•  ¿Me puedes pasar la sal?: ¡Seguro! (Can you pass me the salt?: Sure!)
• ¿Quieres pedir una pizza?: ¡Seguro! (Do you want to order a pizza?: Sure!)

Just as sure, that link in the description gives you access to chunks just as common and that will pump your Spanish game just as much!

3. Definitivamente, Evidentemente, Efectivamente, Naturalmente (Definitely, Evidently, Effectively, Naturally)

All of these words ending in “mente” can easily work as synonyms for por supuesto. In a scale from 1 to 4, where 4 is the fanciest, this is how that scale would look:

1. Definitivamente (Definitely)
2. Evidentemente (Evidently)
3. Efectivamente (Effectively)
4. Naturalmente (Naturally)

There’s little difference between these words. The most noticeable difference would be that, though they can call work as affirmations, as a form of “yes”, naturalmente and evidentemente would sound a bit more conceited if what you mean is to answer “yes” to a question.

4. Obvio (Obviously)

Here’s that option that all millennials and the following use most of the time instead of everything else. It is 100% not a formal reply, and you kind of need to be careful with your tone, so it can play to your benefit. Let’s go through a couple of situations where I would answer obvio (obviously), so you can get a sense for it.

ACTOR 1
Maura, si dejo a los niños contigo, ¿me prometes que los cuidarás?
(Maura, if I leave the children with you, will you promise to take care of them?)

ACTOR 2
Obvio.
(Obviously.)

ACTOR 1
Maura, ¿hace calor en Madrid?
(Maura, is it hot in Madrid?)

ACTOR 2
¡Obviamente!
(Obviously!)

Obvio and obviamente, are the same thing, but with just a little variation, you can also add to your vocabulary.

ACTOR 1
Maura, ¿te gustan las películas?
(Maura, do you like movies?)

ACTOR 2
¡Obvio, microbio!
(Obviously!)