ENGLISH
REFERENCE

spanish

n. uncountable
A1 Beginner US //ˈspænɪʃ// span·ish Archaic Dialect Informal Slang

n. the language that people speak in Spain and most of Latin America. It is also a word for people who come from Spain.

n. a Romance language spoken primarily in Spain and the Americas; also used as a collective noun for the people of Spain.


SIMPLE

I am learning Spanish so I can travel to Mexico.

CONTEXTUAL

The local library offers several classes for adults who want to improve their conversational Spanish before the summer holidays.

COMPLEX

While the grammar remains largely consistent across the globe, the Spanish spoken in Argentina features distinct phonetic patterns and vocabulary that differ significantly from the varieties found in Madrid or Mexico City.

Origin

From Middle English Spainish, Spanish, equivalent to Spain + -ish.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the language; plural 'the Spanish' refers to the people of Spain.

Pitfall

I speak the SpanishI speak SpanishLanguages do not take the definite article 'the' when used as a direct object.

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