presupuesto
/pɾesuˈpwesto/masculine
The Spanish word for budget is presupuesto.
presupuesto refers to the amount of money or resources earmarked for a particular institution, activity or time-frame. It is a versatile term used for everything from personal finances to large-scale institutional or government budgets.
Meaning: amount of money or resources earmarked for a particular institution, activity or time-frame (noun)
Which one should you use?
presupuesto is the noun used to name the budget itself, whereas presupuestar is the verb used for the action of calculating or allocating those funds.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun presupuesto is masculine and requires masculine articles such as el or un.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾesuˈpwesto/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking business contexts, when you ask for a 'budget' for a service, you are actually asking for a 'quote' or 'estimate'. While 'presupuesto' is the correct term, it functions more like the English word 'estimate' than a fixed long-term financial plan.
- The word presupuesto is built from the prefix 'pre-' and the verb 'suponer', meaning 'to suppose' or 'to assume'. Effectively, a budget is seen as something that has been 'pre-supposed' or assumed to be necessary before the actual spending occurs.
- In some Latin American countries, the phrase está fuera de presupuesto can be used idiomatically to describe something that is simply unaffordable, rather than just a technical accounting error.
Examples in context
- El comité aprobó el presupuesto.The committee approved the budget.This sentence shows how to use presupuesto when a committee approves funds.Tatoeba #1553176 by marcelostockle, translation #28239 by CK
- Tienen problemas de presupuesto.They're having problems with their budget.This sentence demonstrates using presupuesto when discussing financial problems.Tatoeba #5042408 by don_ramon, translation #680443 by Source_VOA
- El presupuesto debe ser balanceado.The budget must be balanced.This sentence illustrates how to describe a budget that must be balanced using presupuesto.Tatoeba #3140169 by marcelostockle, translation #324694 by CK
- El presupuesto de la empresa aumentó este añoThe company's budget increased this year
- Se asignó una partida especial para la educaciónA special budget was assigned for education
- ¿Cuánto dinero disponible tenemos para gastar en regalos?How much budget do we have to spend on gifts?
- No puedo superar mi límite de gasto este mesI can't exceed my spending limit this month
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing a home renovation project.
- Daniel¿Tienes el presupuesto para la cocina?Do you have the budget for the kitchen?
- SofíaSí, lo estoy preparando ahora mismo.Yes, I am preparing it right now.
- DanielPerfecto, necesito saber cuánto costará.Perfect, I need to know how much it will cost.
- SofíaTe lo enviaré en un momento, Daniel.I will send it to you in a moment, Daniel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “budget” translations and entries presupuesto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries presupuesto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
