Te soporto doesn't mean I support you

Tell a friend te soporto about their new business and you've just told them you tolerate them.

You said

¡Qué buena idea! Te soporto.

What it means: What a good idea! I put up with you.

A local says

¡Qué buena idea! Te apoyo.

What a good idea! I support you.

Why: Soportar means to put up with. To support someone, use apoyar: te apoyo.

A friend tells you about their new taquería in Puebla

¡Qué buena idea! Te soporto.

"…Gracias, supongo."

Soportar looks like support, and it does share a root: it means to bear a weight. But in everyday Spanish the weight is usually something annoying. No soporto el calor (I can't stand the heat), no soporto a mi jefe (I can't stand my boss). Te soporto, said to a friend, means you're tolerating them.

Support, in the sense of backing someone, is apoyar: te apoyo, te apoyamos, gracias por tu apoyo (thanks for your support). Warmer still: cuenta conmigo (count on me) or aquí estoy para lo que necesites.

Soportar keeps its physical meaning in technical contexts: esta mesa soporta cien kilos (this table holds a hundred kilos). And soporte técnico is technical support, so the noun is safe. It's the verb, aimed at a person, that goes wrong.

Try your own sentence

Type any Spanish sentence and the Juntos tutor grades it out of 100, names the slip and shows the fix. No account.

Also worth knowing

Spanish	English
Gracias por tu apoyo.	Thanks for your support.
Cuenta conmigo.	Count on me.
No aguanto este calor.	I can't stand this heat.

Think you would catch slips like this one in the moment? Play Spot the slip, a ten-round quiz built from every slip on this site.

Every answer graded, with the fix and why

Grammar, reading, speaking and messaging in one Spanish program, A1 to C1. The tutor catches slips like this one before a person hears them. 7 days free, no card.

Start your free trial

Questions people ask

What does soportar mean?

To put up with, bear or stand: no soporto el ruido means I can't stand the noise. It can also mean to hold up a weight, but never to back a person.

How do you say I support you in Spanish?

Te apoyo. Cuenta conmigo (count on me) and aquí estoy para lo que necesites (I'm here for whatever you need) are warm ways to say it too.

How do you say I can't stand it?

No lo soporto, or no lo aguanto. Both are very common.