There are many words in English that start with the letter W. But, what about Spanish? How many Spanish words that start with W do you know? If you can't think of any, we would like to invite you to read this lesson, where we will unveil some of the most commonly used words that start with W in Spanish.
To begin with, the letter W is one of the letters of the Spanish alphabet. However, since this letter wasn't part of the Latin language, its adoption into the Spanish language came from terms and words that are original to other languages (extranjerismos).
In terms of the name and pronunciation of this consonant, as there are many ways of referring to the letter W in Spanish, you can use any the following four options:
1. uve doble
2. ve doble
3. doble ve
4. doble u
Let's hear the pronunciation of the recommended option uve doble:
te, u, uve, uve doble,
t, u, v, w,
Caption 23, Fundamentos del Español 1 - El Alfabeto
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And let's see how to pronounce the alternative option doble ve:
ve, doble ve, equis, ye, zeta.
v, w, x, y, z.
Caption 11, Graciela Alfabeto y formación de sílabas
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Now that we know the various names for this letter and the type of words that contain it, let's take a look at some of the most common words that start with the letter W in Spanish.
There are several technology-related words in Spanish that start with W. Please keep in mind that most of them are terms that have been borrowed from the English language with the same spelling. Let's look at a few:
Even though the Spanish term vatio is the recommended one for its English equivalent, the word watt is also accepted.
The word "web" is used in Spanish in the same way as in English. However, this term can also be employed when talking about a single website or web page:
Más información en esta web.
More information on this website.
Caption 9, Tecnópolis Viaje por la red
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Keep in mind that you can also use the term seminario web when talking about a webinar in Spanish.
Tenemos también wifi y hay ordenadores disponibles.
We also have Wi-Fi and there are computers available.
Caption 20, El Aula Azul Las actividades de la escuela - Part 1
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As we saw in the previous section, there are many Spanish W words that come from the English language. Let's see some more:
You might also see the term waterpolista to describe a water polo player.
English is not the only language that has given Spanish some of its W words. There are numerous words in Spanish that start with W that come from other languages. Let's take a look.
de salsa de soja o wasabi
with soy sauce or wasabi,
Caption 32, El Aula Azul Adivinanzas de comidas - Part 2
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As you can see, there are some easy Spanish words that start with W as well as some more challenging ones. Can you think of any additional words that start with W in Spanish? Be sure to let us know, and don't forget to leave us your questions and comments.
Let's study a special type of Spanish plurals along with some idiomatic expressions in which they are used. In Spanish, there are nouns that can be used either in singular or plural to designate a single object that is constituted by symmetrical parts. That's the case of nouns such las tijeras (scissors), pantalones (pants), tenazas (tongs), gafas (glasses), calzones (underwear), etc. As in English, these Spanish nouns are normally used in the plural form. For example:
Estos pantalones, por ejemplo, son rosas
These pants, for example, are pink
Caption 56, Marta de Madrid - Prendas de ropa
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Se recomienda el uso de guantes y de gafas protectoras.
The use of gloves and protective goggles is recommended.
Caption 56, Raquel - Fiestas de España
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Que estoy viendo ahí unas pinzas muy curiosas.
'Cause I am seeing there some very strange pincers.
Caption 84, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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However, for many of these it's also valid, but much less common, to use the singular form:
Este pantalón, por ejemplo, es rosa
These pants, for example, are pink
Que estoy viendo ahí una pinza muy curiosa.
Cause I am seeing there some very strange pincers.
For gafas it would be even less common, so we are not including an example. But let's see some examples from our catalog. Garments such as pantalones (pants) are also used in singular:
¿Cuánto te cuesta un pantalón aquí?
How much does a pair of pants cost you here?
Caption 1, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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The noun falda (skirt) is also used both in plural and singular:
Esta falda, por ejemplo, tiene una goma elástica.
This skirt, for example, has an elastic rubber band.
Caption 69, Marta de Madrid - Prendas de ropa
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Another example. It would be much more common to say con las tijeras (with the scissors) but the use of the singular form is also correct:
¿Los rulos los hacés vos?
Do you do the curls yourself?
-Sí, con la tijera.
Yes, with the scissors.
Captions 68-69, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas
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There are other cases in which Spanish prefers the use of singular and reserves the plural for expressive uses of the words. This is the case for el bigote (the mustache) and la nariz (the nose):
También en el caso de los hombres tienen bigote.
Also, in the case of men, they have a mustache.
Caption 77, Marta de Madrid - El cuerpo - La cabeza
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Tiene la nariz roja y normalmente la cara blanca.
Has a red nose and normally (has) a white face.
Caption 52, El Aula Azul - Las Profesiones
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For emphatic purposes we can use the plural forms bigotes and narices:
¡Límpiate las narices y atúsate los bigotes!
Clean your nose and smooth down your mustache!
There are many expressions in Spanish that use these nouns. They are usually expresiones fijas (fixed expressions) or expresiones idiomáticas (idioms) that are used as a standard way of expressing a concept or idea. In these kinds of expressions the use of plural is predominant. Some of them also exist in English; others are easy to interpret. Let's learn a few.
Y aunque exista algún respeto,
And even though there exists some respect,
no metamos las narices.
let's not stick our noses [into it].
Caption 3, Molotov - Frijolero
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...o el Valle de Lecrín a las faldas de Sierra Nevada.
...or the Lecrin Valley on the skirts of the Sierra Nevada.
Caption 25, Tecnópolis - Viaje por la red
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Finally, expressions using the plural pantalones (pants) are very common as well:
...y que nadie ha tenido los pantalones para hablar.
...and that nobody has had the guts to speak.
Caption 2, Andrés Manuel López Obrador - En campaña
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Porque vos en esa casa no llevás los pantalones.
Because you don't wear the pants in that house.
Caption 64, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta
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