Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| centro | /ˈθentɾo/ /ˈsentɾo/ |
masculine |
| centro/núcleo urbano/ciudadano/citadino | masculine | |
| downtown | masculine | |
| dauntaun | /dauntaun/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| dauntáun | /dauntaun/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
In Spanish, centro refers to the business center or the lower part of a town or city. While centro can describe the physical center of an object, when used in the context of a city, it is the standard term for the downtown area. You can also use the more specific phrase el centro de la ciudad to refer to the center of the city.
Which one should you use?
Other terms such as núcleo urbano, ciudadano or citadino may appear, as well as phonetic transcriptions like dauntaun or dauntáun.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term el microcentro is used to refer to the downtown area. In Spain, el casco is sometimes used as a shortened form of casco antiguo to refer to the historical center.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because centro is a masculine noun, you must use the contraction al (a + el) when saying you are going downtown, such as in the phrase al centro.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈθentɾo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often omit the article when saying 'I live downtown'. In Spanish, you must include the article and say vivo en el centro.
Did you know?
- In Spain, when referring to the historic downtown area, you might hear people use el casco. This is a shortened version of casco antiguo, which literally translates to 'old helmet'.
- The word centro is a distant relative of the English word 'center', but its ancient roots are much sharper. It stems from a Greek word meaning 'to sting' or 'to pierce', originally referring to a sharp point.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the English word 'downtown' is used as a loanword but is written phonetically as dauntaun or dauntáun.
Examples in context
- Quiero ir al centro.I want to go downtown.This sentence is useful for expressing the desire to go to the centro.Tatoeba #4329500 by pchamorro, translation #5322501 by tabular
- Tom vive en el centro.Tom lives downtown.This sentence is useful for stating that someone lives in the centro.Tatoeba #9443873 by ignacio, translation #5023463 by CarpeLanam
- Voy al centro de la ciudad.I'm going downtown.This sentence is useful for describing a movement toward the centro of the city.Tatoeba #1937661 by marcelostockle, translation #139890 by fcbond
- ¿Dónde está el centro de la ciudad?Where is downtown?
- ¿Cómo llego al casco antiguo?How do I get to the old town?
- Estoy buscando un restaurante en la zona céntrica.I'm looking for a restaurant in the city center.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are deciding where to meet for lunch.
- JavierNos vemos en el centro.I'll see you downtown.
- Sofía¿A qué hora llegas al centro?What time do you get downtown?
- JavierLlego en diez minutos, Sofía.I'll be there in ten minutes, Sofía.
- SofíaPerfecto, te espero allí.Perfect, I'll wait for you there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “downtown” translations and entries centro, downtown, dauntaun, dauntáun, 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 centro, downtown, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
