Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| caribe | /kaˈɾibe/ |
| caribeño | /kaɾiˈbeɲo/ |
The term refers to the sea and the region bounded by the American continent and the West Indies. Use the noun Caribe to refer to the continental region centered on the sea or to the sea itself, Mar Caribe. Use the adjective forms to describe things pertaining to the region, or use caribeño as a noun to refer to a person from the Caribbean.
Which one should you use?
Use caribeño when you are using the word as an adjective to describe something from the Caribbean.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term el Caribe is used frequently.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective caribeño must agree with the nouns it describes: use caribeña for feminine singular nouns, caribeños for masculine plural nouns and caribeñas for feminine plural nouns. As a noun, caribeño refers to a person from the Caribbean.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˈɾibe/
Did you know?
- The term caribe is derived from the Proto-Cariban word *karipona, which originally meant simply 'person'.
- In some Caribbean regions, you will find the term antillano used instead of caribeño to specify an identity tied to the Antilles islands rather than the wider basin.
- The suffix '-eño' used in caribeño is a common way in Spanish to create demonyms, which are words used to describe the inhabitants of a specific place.
Examples in context
- ¿Está Cuba en el Caribe?Is Cuba in the Caribbean?This sentence uses caribe to ask about the location of a country.Tatoeba #13718286 by Seael, translation #13718283 by rul
- ¿Alguna vez has querido vivir en el Caribe?Have you ever wanted to live in the Caribbean?This sentence uses caribe to ask about a desire to live in the region.Tatoeba #7745640 by carloschunga, translation #6128531 by mailohilohi
- El holandés se habla en Sudáfrica y en el área del Caribe.Dutch is spoken in South Africa and in the Caribbean area.This sentence uses caribe to identify a specific area.Tatoeba #3660149 by cueyayotl, translation #2283981 by shekitten
- Me encantaría visitar el Caribe este verano.I would love to visit the Caribbean this summer.
- Voy a pasar mis vacaciones en la costa caribeña de Colombia.I'm going to spend my vacation on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
- Esta playa es una de las más hermosas del Caribe.This beach is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are planning a vacation together.
- JavierQuiero ir a una playa del Caribe.I want to go to a Caribbean beach.
- LucíaMe parece una idea estupenda, Javier.That sounds like a great idea, Javier.
- Javier¿Prefieres República Dominicana o Jamaica?Do you prefer the Dominican Republic or Jamaica?
- LucíaCualquier lugar del Caribe es hermoso.Any place in the Caribbean is beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “caribbean” translations and entries caribe, caribeño, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caribe, caribeño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
