Palabra Lexi · common words in Spanish
How to say "man" in Spanish
"Man" in Spanish is hombre, pronounced OHM-breh (stress on the syllable in capitals). It is a masculine noun (el hombre, plural los hombres).
| Spanish | hombre |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | OHM-breh |
| Meaning | man |
| Gender | masculine: el hombre |
| Plural | los hombres |
| Frequency | #15 in the Palabra list of common Spanish words |
Pronunciation is spelled out in English, one syllable at a time, with the stressed syllable in capitals. The speaker button uses your browser's built-in Spanish voice. Gender and plural: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
How to pronounce hombre
Hombre is pronounced OHM-breh, in IPA /ˈombɾe/. Hombre has two syllables, OHM-breh, with the stress on the first. There is no written accent because the word follows the basic rule: words ending in a vowel, -n or -s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable.
- H is silent.
Listen: normal and slow speed, in your browser's Spanish voice. IPA: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.
Is hombre masculine or feminine?
Hombre is masculine, so it takes el (the) and un (a): el hombre. The plural is los hombres. The ending does not tell you the gender here, so learn the word together with its article: el hombre.
Example sentences
Un hombre alto
a tall man
El hombre juega cartas.
The man plays cards.
El hombre juega al póker.
The man plays poker.
"Man" in Spain and Latin America
The h is silent: OHM-breh. In Spain ¡hombre! is also an exclamation, roughly "come on!" or "of course!".
Regional words and roots: Diccionario de la lengua española (RAE). Spanish varies by region, so treat these as the most common patterns, not strict rules.
How to remember hombre
hombre [OHM-breh] sounds like the English “umbrella”. Picture this:
The man opens an umbrella so huge the whole bus stop hides under it.
A sound-alike plus a vivid scene is the keyword method, a well-studied way to learn vocabulary. How it works.
Practice hombre
Two quick games, right here: no sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.