astronauta
/astɾoˈnauta/feminine, masculine
The Spanish word for astronaut is astronauta.
astronauta refers to a member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft, or someone trained for that purpose.
Meaning: member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft, or someone trained for that purpose (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word contains the prefix astro-, which refers to stars or celestial bodies.
How does it change in a sentence?
astronauta is an epicene noun, meaning it has the same form for both masculine and feminine subjects. To indicate a female astronaut, you change the indefinite article to the feminine form una instead of changing the noun itself.
How do you pronounce it?
/astɾoˈnauta/
Did you know?
- The suffix -nauta in astronauta literally means 'sailor', making an astronaut a 'star-sailor' in a linguistic sense.
- In Spanish, the root astro- is used in many words unrelated to space, such as astrología for the pseudoscience of horoscopes.
- While astronauta is the standard term, Spanish speakers often use cosmonauta specifically when referring to space travelers from Russia or former Soviet states.
Examples in context
- Su prometido es astronauta.The man whom she is marrying is an astronaut.This sentence is useful for describing someone's profession in relation to a fiancé.Tatoeba #1216438 by wallebot, translation #1215991 by Kristinka
- ¿Te gustaría ser un astronauta?Would you like to be an astronaut?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's aspirations.Tatoeba #1346653 by marcelostockle, translation #680270 by Source_VOA
- Un astronauta puede flotar en el espacio.An astronaut can float in space.This sentence is useful for describing a capability of an astronaut in space.Tatoeba #1288388 by hayastan, translation #680976 by Source_VOA
- Juan sueña con convertirse en un astronauta y explorar el cosmos.Juan dreams of becoming an astronaut and exploring the cosmos.
- El astronauta ruso Yuri Gagarin fue el primer cosmonauta en orbitar la Tierra.Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin was the first cosmonaut to orbit the Earth.
- Los taikonautas chinos están realizando increíbles experimentos en la estación espacial.Chinese taikonauts are conducting incredible experiments on the space station.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about a movie.
- SofíaMira, la protagonista es una astronauta.Look, the protagonist is an astronaut.
- DanielParece que el viaje es muy peligroso.It seems like the journey is very dangerous.
- SofíaSí, pero ser astronauta es su sueño.Yes, but being an astronaut is her dream.
- DanielYo también quiero ir al espacio.I want to go to space too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “astronaut” translations and entries astronauta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries astronauta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
