capítulo
/kaˈpitulo/masculine
The Spanish word for chapter is capítulo.
capítulo is used to refer to a section in a book.
Meaning: section in a book (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, if you are referring to a chapter of a TV series, you might use episodio (episode). In certain Latin American countries, when dealing with legal or regulatory documents, the word sección may be used to mean chapter.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of capítulo is capítulos.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˈpitulo/
Did you know?
- The word capítulo comes from the Late Latin capitulum, which is a diminutive meaning 'little head'.
- Unlike in English, where a 'chapter' is almost always a division of a book, in Spanish the word is frequently used to describe a single episode of a soap opera or 'telenovela'.
- While capítulo is the standard for books, Spanish speakers often use entrega when referring to a chapter of a serialized story or comic.
Examples in context
- Vamos a empezar con el primer capítulo.Let's begin with the first chapter.This sentence is useful for starting a discussion about the first chapter.Tatoeba #1248357 by Shishir, translation #276047 by CK
- Explicaré la razón en el quinto capítulo de este libro.I'll explain the reason in the fifth chapter of this book.This sentence is useful for explaining where a reason will be provided in a book's fifth capítulo.Tatoeba #2794330 by marcelostockle, translation #2794346 by patgfisher
- Haz todos los ejercicios que están al final del capítulo.Do all the exercises at the end of the chapter.This sentence is useful for instructing someone to complete exercises found at the end of a capítulo.Tatoeba #2571597 by marcelostockle, translation #2571471 by sharptoothed
- ¿Ya leíste el último capítulo de ese libro?Did you already read the latest chapter of that book?
- En el tercer capítulo de mi investigación, analizo los resultados obtenidos.In the third chapter of my research, I analyze the obtained results.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a textbook in the library.
- AlejandroElena, ¿ya terminaste de leer el capítulo tres?Elena, did you finish reading chapter three already?
- ElenaNo, Alejandro, el capítulo es muy largo.No, Alejandro, the chapter is very long.
- AlejandroTienes razón, tiene demasiadas páginas.You're right, it has too many pages.
- ElenaMañana terminaré ese capítulo sin falta.I will finish that chapter tomorrow for sure.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chapter” translations and entries capítulo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries capítulo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
