How do you say MANDE? in English?

Latinos be like ...

If only for the direct translation, ¿MANDE? is COMMAND ME or TELL ME, but that is not the real meaning.
In Ecuador, Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, it is customary to respond ¿MANDE? when someone of a higher rank, or one of your parents, calls you. Any other response is considered disrespectful, and though as of recent there are people questioning this old tradition, still it will be years before it disappears.
In English MANDE? would be YES?   

Comments

Ginger Nicole Alvia González said…
I think that we can use Yes?, I've watched on a movie that they use yes? to talk to an older person with respect but I do not know if there's other way to say it.
June 22, 2021 at 5:58 PM
Manuel Erazo said…
In my opinion it depends of the education of each person, in my case my parents had taught me that I only have to use the word 'mande' with them not with anyone else, with the rest of people I should use 'digame', 'que necesita', ' en que puedo ayudar?'but I should only obey God and my parents without hesitation but the rest of people I must respect them and be kind, and talking about academic rules or job environment I should follow the statements which brings a better environment for me and my coworkers or classmates but not because I have to obey them.
June 22, 2021 at 5:59 PM
Blanca Landivar said…
Again we find idiomatic expressions very typical of Ecuadorians that do not have the same meaning in English, it is interesting that the correct answer in English would be simply YES ... It is so simple.!
Thank you for the explanation.!
June 22, 2021 at 6:01 PM
Zamora Parra Anthony said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
June 22, 2021 at 6:05 PM
Nicole Cedeño Gines said…
When someone calls me, I usually use the terms "tell me" or "yes?". Personally, I did not know of that other option "command me". It is interesting and very useful vocabulary. Thank you :)
June 22, 2021 at 6:07 PM
Zamora Parra Anthony said…
Wow! That's an accurate and respectful way to respond a calling. Another respectful way to respond an authority is by saying: "at your command." But I think this is so polite and you might use it in specific moments.
An expression that I use a lot in a informal moment is "Whajapen?" (What happened?) But I use it just with friends and close people. It is good to know how to say this in English.

"PIN-S-MA-6-1 IAP I"
June 22, 2021 at 6:10 PM
Kymberlyn Carriel said…
Personally, at home I was raised with the idea that I should say "Mande" to people older than me (parents, grandparents, uncles, etc), because if I responded with a "¿Qué?" my grandmother's look said everything and I already knew that I had been disrespectful.
I think we can use “Yes” as an answer in English without being disrespectful.
June 22, 2021 at 6:11 PM
Ginger Morán said…
The image is funny and it is true that since childhood our parents tell us that it would be the polite or respectful way to respond. But the word "mande" sounds strange like giving an order or sending something. It might be better to say tell me! or just yes!
"PIN-S-MA-6-1 IAP I"

June 22, 2021 at 6:26 PM
Carlos León Moran said…
It's true. My mom and grandma always scold me when I don't say "mande". I related the word "mande" with "tell me" since they practically mean the same thing.
June 22, 2021 at 6:41 PM
Ortega Melanie said…
The image is what caught my attention the most because it perfectly describes the way in which latino parents scold their children when they respond in a disrespectful way but I don't think "mande" is the only way to respond. I mean, for example you can say "dígame" and it is not disrespectful nor doesn't it mean that you have bad manners. On the other hand, I found this information so interesting, thanks for sharing!

PIN-S-MA-6-1
June 22, 2021 at 7:23 PM
Alejandra Del Valle said…
"Yes?" is a polite response to your parents or boss. It can be used in either formal or informal talking, from my point of view. Which isn't the case in Spanish. If you say "mande", it is implied that you're talking respectfully to your parents or someone with a higher rank. But you wouldn't use "mande" to respond to your friends. In this latter, you would say, "Qué?" or "Ajá?", or "Qué pasó?" among other alternatives, but never "mande". Nevertheless, there are still people who use it in either formal or informal speaking.
June 22, 2021 at 7:23 PM
Torres Alvear Odette said…
With my brother I was talking about this, that in English sounds super fresh when you answer to parents, for example in Spanish normally when refer to parents I say "Usted", but in English is only "You" doesn't exist differences. The only difference is the manner that you say, the sound of voice.
June 22, 2021 at 7:52 PM
Arly Lopez said…
I have always been told that before speaking in English I shouldn’t translate literally what I think in Spanish because obviously I will make grammatical mistakes. It's weird to just say YES and nothing else but I learn something new every day.
June 22, 2021 at 8:05 PM
Johanna Arteaga said…
I've never thought of this translation before, but saying only "Yes?", seem kind of weird to me, I feel like answering "Yes, Ma'am" or "Yes, Sir" would be a more polite thing to say, or perhaps it wouldn't be the same equivalent to "mande", I'm not sure.

PIN-S-MA-6-1


June 22, 2021 at 8:32 PM
Evelin Arellano said…
That's a very interesting information, I didn't know that.
Now I know how to response when someone calls me.
With these kinds of information I've been learnig a lot.
June 22, 2021 at 8:55 PM
Suleyka Tello Bermudez said…

I think that depends on the upbringing of the parents. In my case, they taught me to say "mande", it is a way of being respectful and being attentive at the same time. In my opinion, to say "yes" is to say "mande".
June 22, 2021 at 9:45 PM
Samuel Macías said…
I had never thought to say MANDE in English but how interesting to learn, that the correct and kind way to respond to a request is with YES, now when my mother tells me to do something I will say YES.
June 22, 2021 at 11:58 PM
Jenny Vega Luna said…
The word "mande" is used specifically to respond when an older person speaks to you, if you answer "que" or yes? it seems disrespectful. So I recommend to keep using the word "mande"
June 23, 2021 at 12:23 AM
Emily Saca Salinas said…
Honestly, I like how simple it sounds. I thought it would be more like 'Tell me', but it's been much easier to translate. Thanks for such good knowledge.
June 23, 2021 at 12:57 AM
Ferruzola Martínez Rita said…
That's the rule I think in all Latin homes, however, you can also say "Yes" as a response in English.
June 23, 2021 at 11:39 AM
Unknown said…
Dave Criollo
I thik tha could exist another word instead of "yes", another whose wants to express that feeling of respectful.
June 23, 2021 at 6:16 PM
Juan Jesús said…
I use that word but it does not mean nothing for me. Respect is obtained by actions, no words.
June 24, 2021 at 8:14 PM
Briggitte Vera said…
I used to think that "tell me" was a more respectful term that a simple "Yes?" But it's ok, I like this easy asnwer.
June 27, 2021 at 11:18 PM
Mendoza Párraga Martha said…
In my house it is an indispensable rule to say 'mande', It is very interesting and educational to learn with this blog.
June 28, 2021 at 9:15 PM
Saraí Pesantes Parreño said…
This is the thing with culture, they change depending on where we are in the globe. Here we are used to say 'mande since it's good manners.
June 30, 2021 at 3:08 PM
Ericka Zambrano said…
In my case, If someone calls me, I always say "digame". I think that's more respectful.
July 4, 2021 at 6:20 PM
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