El Cairo
/el kaiɾo/from spelling rulesmasculine
The Spanish word for Cairo is El Cairo.
El Cairo refers to the capital of Egypt. It is also noted in relation to the name Fustat.
Meaning: capital of Egypt (name)
How does it change in a sentence?
El Cairo is a masculine noun and its standard name in Spanish includes the definite article El.
How do you pronounce it?
/el kaiɾo/
Did you know?
- In high-level Spanish literature, you may see the phrase a El Cairo instead of the contracted al Cairo. This is because El is treated as a permanent part of the proper name rather than a simple article.
- Although the Spanish name El Cairo begins with the article El, this is not a translation of the Arabic definite article al-. The Spanish El comes from the Latin ille, while the Arabic al- is a completely different linguistic root.
- Unlike in English, where 'Cairo' stands alone, the definite article El is considered an inseparable part of the city's name in Spanish.
Examples in context
- ¿Has estado en El Cairo?Have you been to Cairo?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has visited El Cairo.Tatoeba #1535171 by marcelostockle, translation #1531103 by erikspen
- Sami aprendió árabe en El Cairo.Sami learned Arabic in Cairo.This sentence is useful for mentioning that Sami learned Arabic in El Cairo.Tatoeba #10305719 by hayastan, translation #6380050 by OsoHombre
- Sami abandonó sus pertenencias personales en un apartamento en El Cairo.Sami abandoned his personal possessions in a Cairo apartment.This sentence is useful for describing an abandoned apartment in El Cairo.Tatoeba #7035989 by Eremon, translation #5921317 by OsoHombre
- He visitado muchas ciudades hermosas, como París, Londres y El Cairo.I have visited many beautiful cities, such as Paris, London and Cairo.
- Los monumentos históricos de El Cairo son impresionantes.The historical monuments of Cairo are impressive.
- ¿Sabías que El Cairo es la capital de Egipto?Did you know that Cairo is the capital of Egypt?
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are discussing their future travel plans.
- LucíaQuiero visitar las pirámides en El Cairo.I want to visit the pyramids in Cairo.
- MateoYo también, Mateo quiere ir contigo.Me too, Mateo wants to go with you.
- LucíaEntonces busquemos un vuelo a El Cairo.Then let's look for a flight to Cairo.
- Mateo¡Perfecto! Reservaré los boletos hoy.Perfect! I will book the tickets today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cairo” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
