27

I'm doing a presentation in Spanish class, and I'll be mentioning the programming language C++. I'm not sure if it should be pronounced the same way as in English, or if there's a different way to phrase it. How should I pronounce it?

Improve this question
6
  • 6
    I tend to hear as much C más más as I do C plus plus (pronounced with Spanish Us). I think @Charlie works more in programming and can confirm or say otherwise, but I believe it just depends on the person more than anything else.
    – user0721090601
    Commented Apr 25, 2019 at 19:23
  • 1
    Sería interesante ampliar la pregunta a "C#" (no creo que merezca la pena hacer una pregunta propia para algo que es tan similar). Ahí yo creo que sí que he oído "ce sharp", "ce sostenido" y la voz inglesa.
    – Diego
    Commented Apr 25, 2019 at 19:48
  • @guifa yo personalmente digo "ce más más", y pocas veces he oído otra cosa. En cambio para C# soy de los pocos (o el único) que dice "ce almohadilla". Aunque en realidad debería decir "ce sostenido".
    – Charlie
    Commented Apr 25, 2019 at 23:50
  • This is a great question! I'm a programmer and regularly speak Spanish (family and friends, but it's not my first language). Though I never if the way I pronounce names of technology should change as well!
    – Dylan Meeus
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 9:05
  • 1
    Yo digo "C", pero dejando luego una pausa para que quede claro que hay dos caracteres que no tienen pronunciación, tipo "C   es un gran lenguaje".(Nota: quizás no estoy siendo completamente sincero) :-p
    – SJuan76
    Commented Apr 28, 2019 at 20:27

10 Answers 10

Reset to default
31

I checked a few videos on YouTube:

In this totally non-representative sample, the pronunciation "Ce más más" clearly dominates, whereas "Ce plus plus" is used only once.

Improve this answer
3
  • 2
    C más más wins, and then you can see "C plús plús" and "C plas plas" haha.
    – FGSUZ
    Commented Apr 25, 2019 at 20:53
  • 2
    I think this is representative to actual pronounciation of the name. "Cé más más", followed in the distance by "Cé plús plús", followed in the far end by "Sí plás plás" and "Cé plás plás".
    – Bernat
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 8:14
  • 1
    This reminds me of some Spanish who though that the English name of that good ol' operating system was MS TWO. :)
    – Hagen von Eitzen
    Commented Apr 28, 2019 at 14:10
14

I'm an engineering informatics student in Perú. The most common pronunciation is "Ce más más", but some teachers also say "Ce pe pe" (from the file extension .cpp), although it is very rare.

We don't say "Si plus plus" like in English that's for sure.

Improve this answer
8

Software engineer from Barcelona, 20 years in the job. If you say C plus plus in English everybody will understand you, it's not usual to say it in Spanish.

For instance, people say Python in English, not 'Pitón' in Spanish.

Technical jargon is very often pronounced in English.

Improve this answer
8
  • 1
    However, we usually say radiojed instead of reidiohet for Radiohead, for example.
    – fedorqui
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 12:59
  • 3
    Often times I hear "páiton"
    – ffuentes
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 19:50
  • También hay quien dice "maincraft" y quien dice "minecrá".
    – Charlie
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 20:45
  • I believe that is what happens in most languages. People who deal with documentation/videos/colleagues in English tend to pronounce words in English because they are used to do that. However, local pronunciation often wins, sometimes it's also an attempt at English when that person doesn't know English very well. C# is another interesting example because many people don't know how to pronounce that in their native language therefore going for "Csharp" is more common.
    – Sulthan
    Commented Apr 27, 2019 at 13:29
  • @Charlie - ¿Quieres decir maincrá?
    – aparente001
    Commented Apr 27, 2019 at 18:11
8

I am adding this summary following what was discussed in Juntemos en respuestas wiki las respuestas cortas específicas de regiones / Let's use community wiki to summarize set of short region specific answers. Feel free to edit to add the term used in your country or region.

Colombia

  • ce más más
  • ce plus plus (pronunciando en español la palabra inglesa plus)

Perú

  • ce más más
  • ce pe pe

España

  • ce más más (/θe mas mas/)

Cuba

  • ce maj maj
  • ce má má
Improve this answer
4

In Spain, we usually say "ce más más", pronounced /θe mas mas/.

It should be noted that it may be translated and pronounced differently in South America.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    well there is an answer from Peru stating that they also use ce más más.
    – fedorqui
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 13:00
  • And an answer from Colombia saying the same
    – mdewey
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 14:09
3

Unlike English speaking people, most Spanish speaking people say "Ce más más" rather than "Ce plus plus".

Improve this answer
3

En Colombia por lo común se escucha "ce más más" y en ocaciones "ce plus plus", pronunciando en español la palabra inglesa "plus".

Improve this answer
1

There are already many answers, but I will add mine from a Mexican perspective, I am a computer engineering graduate, and we always call it "ce más más".

Improve this answer
1

En Cuba, como omitimos las S al final de las palabras, o las cambiamos por J...decimos "ce maj maj" o "ce má má".

Improve this answer
0

In Spain, most English brand names are said in English (maybe with a Spanish accent/pronunciation on it if you prefer).

For example, for 'iPhone' you just say it like 'eye-Phone', you don't say 'ee-phone'. I'm guessing the normal thing would be to say 'C plus plus' as 'C plus plus' and not to translate it into 'Ce más más', as this would sound very strange.

Edit: When I say with Spanish pronunciation, I mean you would say 'C plus plus', but you might put Spanish pronunciation on it as 'c ploohs ploohs'.

Improve this answer
4
  • 1
    This would make sense, but most of the other answers seem to agree that Ce mas mas is very usual, although either would work. Anyways, I'll be using Ce mas mas
    – Levi C. Olson
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 19:05
  • I've read the other comments and seen as well that 'Ce más más' might be common in other Spanish-speaking countries, but this is a comment above from a software engineer from Spain who says it is not normal use the Spanish translation in Spain, but yes I suppose either will work. To be honest, I would probably avoid using the English if it was me so as to not break from using Spanish words.
    – Hollis Williams
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 21:06
  • OK, another comment from someone in Spain saying 'ce más más' is normal. Maybe the person who insists in saying it in English 'c plus plus' is probably just because they are trying to show off that they know some English or something.
    – Hollis Williams
    Commented Apr 26, 2019 at 21:09
  • @Tom - I consider it more likely that that individual happens to work in an environment where English has more sway -- perhaps some influential person there came into a lot of contact with someone who had lived in an English-speaking country.
    – aparente001
    Commented Apr 27, 2019 at 18:08

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.