Capital de
/kapital de/from spelling rules
The English phrase "capital of" is translated into Spanish as Capital de.
This phrase is used to identify the city that serves as the seat of government for a country or region.
Which one should you use?
When discussing a city that is a seat of government, you use the feminine form la capital. In contrast, the masculine form el capital is used specifically when referring to financial capital or assets.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the noun used for a capital city is feminine, so it is preceded by the feminine article la to form la capital de.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the masculine form el capital when referring to a city. English speakers often make this error, but you should use the feminine la capital for a seat of government.
Did you know?
- Certain countries have a capital administrativa and a capital judicial, meaning they split the functions of la capital between two different cities.
- The word capital shares a common ancestor with the English word 'head', originating from the Latin 'caput' which means 'head'.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, the term capital is used interchangeably with sede when referring to the location where a government is physically based.
Examples in context
- Alofi es la capital de Niue.Alofi is the capital of Niue.This sentence shows how to identify a city as the capital of a country using Capital de.Tatoeba #7910013 by ecorralest101, translation #7909275 by MarijnKp
- ¿Cuál es la capital de Iowa?What is the capital of Iowa?This sentence uses Capital de to ask a question about a state capital.Tatoeba #7949220 by Seael, translation #7733333 by CK
- Pekín es la capital de China.Beijing is the capital of China.This sentence demonstrates a statement identifying a specific city as the capital of a country using Capital de.Tatoeba #488824 by Shishir, translation #389049 by sysko
- La capital de España es Madrid.The capital of Spain is Madrid.
- La ciudad capital de México es la Ciudad de México.The capital city of Mexico is Mexico City.
- La capital de Argentina es Buenos Aires.The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires.
- La capital de Francia es París.The capital of France is Paris.
- La ciudad capital de Canadá es Ottawa.The capital city of Canada is Ottawa.
- La capital de Italia es Roma.The capital of Italy is Rome.
- La ciudad capital de Rusia es Moscú.The capital city of Russia is Moscow.
- 167 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Javier are studying geography in a library.
- María¿Cuál es la capital de Italia?What is the capital of Italy?
- JavierRoma es la capital de Italia.Rome is the capital of Italy.
- María¡Gracias, Javier!Thanks, Javier!
- JavierDe nada, María.You're welcome, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries capital, de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
