Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| mancomunidad | /mankomuniˈdad/ | feminine |
| comunidad | /komuniˈdad/ | feminine |
| estado libre asociado | /estado libɾe asoθjado/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /estado libɾe asosjado/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
Spanish uses different terms for 'commonwealth' depending on whether you are referring to a political union of entities or a specific type of political status.
Which one should you use?
The word mancomunidad refers specifically to a political commonwealth or a union of several entities. In contrast, comunidad refers to a general community or a neighborhood. When discussing the specific political status of US territories, such as Puerto Rico, the term estado libre asociado is used to mean 'associated free state' instead of mancomunidad.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun mancomunidad is feminine and is used with the feminine article la (la mancomunidad). The form comunidad is also feminine, while estado libre asociado is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/mankomuniˈdad/
Did you know?
- The word mancomunidad is built from mancomún, which contains the word mano meaning 'hand'. Historically, this refers to the act of joining hands to seal a pact or agreement.
- In Spain, a mancomunidad is often a practical administrative union of small villages that share services like water or trash collection rather than a grand political union.
Examples in context
- La Mancomunidad de Puerto RicoThe Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- La Mancomunidad de Puerto Rico promueve la colaboración entre sus municipios.The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico promotes collaboration among its municipalities.
- La mancomunidad de naciones tiene su sede en Londres.The Commonwealth of Nations is headquartered in London.
- Es una mancomunidad basada en la cooperación mutua.It is a commonwealth based on mutual cooperation.
- Debatieron sobre el futuro de la mancomunidad.They debated about the future of the commonwealth.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are discussing a history textbook in a library.
- Alejandro¿Qué dice el libro sobre la mancomunidad?What does the book say about the commonwealth?
- LucíaExplica cómo se formó esa mancomunidad.It explains how that commonwealth was formed.
- AlejandroEs un tema muy complejo para estudiar.It is a very complex topic to study.
- LucíaPero es fascinante entender su estructura.But it is fascinating to understand its structure.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “commonwealth” translations and entries mancomunidad, comunidad, 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 comunidad, estado, libre, mancomunidad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
