One of our Yabla Spanish users recently asked us about the difference between the words cualidad and calidad in Spanish. Since both of these words can be translated as "quality," they are, indeed, a bit confusing for English speakers. That said, we would like to share with you the following explanation about how to use cualidad vs. calidad in Spanish. Let's take a look!

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Meaning and Uses of Cualidad in Spanish

Generally, speaking, the word cualidad means "quality" in the sense of an inherent feature of something. You can therefore treat cualidad in Spanish as a synonym of words like "feature," "trait," "characteristic," or "property." Let's look at a few examples:

Hay ocasiones en las que el adjetivo se coloca delante del sustantivo para enfatizar una cualidad

There are times when the adjective is placed before the noun to emphasize a quality

Captions 21-22, Ana Carolina El uso correcto de los adjetivos

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Una de las cualidades de nuestro café es que, eh, cada semana estamos tostando; es café fresco cada vez. 

One of the qualities of our coffee is that, um, every week we're roasting; it's fresh coffee every time.

Captions 8-10, Baja Beans Café 3- Los granos de café y la máquina tostadora

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Tiene grandes cualidades sanadoras.

It has great healing properties.

Caption 18, Melyna El aguacate

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Sometimes, the word cualidad can refer more specifically to someone's positive trait(s). In this context, the word cualidad can be used as a synonym of words such as "strength" or "attribute." Let's see that use in action:

Eso es normal, Guillermina. Cada persona tiene una cualidad. Si no corres muy rápido, con seguridad bailas muy bien.

That's normal, Guillermina. Every person has a strength. If you don't run very fast, you surely dance very well.

Captions 36-37, Guillermina y Candelario La Ciudad de los Cangrejos

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Casas saca músculos de aquí, y tiene una fila de niñas suspirando por él. ¡Suficiente! ¡A mí, las cualidades de Casas me tienen sin cuidado!

Casas has got muscles here, and he's got girls lined up yearning for him. Enough! I couldn't care less about Casas' attributes!

Captions 7-10, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 11 - Part 3

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Meaning and Uses of Calidad in Spanish

Even though the word calidad in Spanish can also be translated as "quality," its meaning is a totally different. In fact, calidad can be used to convey the following two things:

1. The standard or relative level of excellence of something when compared to other, similar things

This use of the word calidad is a synonym for "standard," as you can see in the following examples:

Al principio, la guitarra la fabricaban con materiales de madera de muy baja calidad

At first, they made the guitar with very low-quality wood materials,

Captions 7-8, Música andina Los orígenes de la guitarra

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y así seguramente mejoraremos nuestra calidad de vida

and in that way surely we will improve our quality of life

Caption 59, Los médicos explican Consejos para dormir

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2. General excellence or superiority 

Whether used with an adjective such as alta (high) or on its own, this meaning of calidad denotes high quality.

Estos productos tienen una calidad y frescura inmejorable.

These products have unbeatable quality and freshness.

Caption 20, Fermín Mercado ecológico

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para ofrecer un programa de estudio de alta calidad

to offer a high-quality study program

Caption 20, Europa Abierta Bruselas impulsa estudios en el extranjero

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A mí me gusta trabajar con calidad.

I like to work with quality.

Caption 32, Otavalo Dea Flor

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Cualidad vs Calidad: Final Tip

Before we go, we would like to share with you a little tip. One of the best manners to choose between either cualidad or calidad in a sentence is by trying both options. For instance, if you tried to exchange these two words in the examples we used throughout this lesson, you will see that replacing one term with the other would be nonsensical.

With this final tip, we have arrived at the end of this lesson. Are you now clear about when to use cualidad vs. calidad? We hope so, but don't hesitate to send us your comments and questions about any remaining doubts!

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