europeo
/euɾoˈpeo/
The Spanish word for 'european' is europeo.
The term europeo is an adjective used to describe things or people relating to Europe or the European Union.
Meaning: relating to Europe or the European Union (adj)
Which one should you use?
europeo is the masculine form, while europea is the feminine form. When referring to people as a noun, both europeo and europea can be used to denote a European person.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, locals might colloquially refer to foreign visitors, including Europeans, as guiris.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes to match the gender and number of the noun it modifies. Use europea to modify feminine singular nouns, europeos for masculine plural nouns or groups of mixed gender and europeas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/euɾoˈpeo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not capitalize europeo in the middle of a sentence. Unlike in English, adjectives of nationality are not capitalized in Spanish unless they begin a sentence.
Did you know?
- While europeo describes a person from the continent, if you are talking about a person from the European Union specifically in a political context, you might hear people use the term comunitario instead.
- A group containing ninety-nine women and one man is described as europeos, as the masculine plural takes precedence over the feminine.
- The word europeo comes from the Latin word Eurōpaeus.
Examples in context
- España es un país Europeo.Spain is a European country.This sentence uses europeo to describe a country.Tatoeba #1667282 by termito2nd, translation #1657250 by CK
- Grecia es un país europeo.Greece is a European country.Tatoeba #10027877 by manufrutos, translation #2628688 by CN
- Tom habla varios idiomas europeos.Tom speaks several European languages.This sentence uses europeo to modify languages.Tatoeba #12919590 by ecorralest101, translation #9142063 by CK
- El continente europeo es famoso por su historia y diversidad cultural.The European continent is famous for its history and cultural diversity.
- La moda de Europa es reconocida en todo el mundo.European fashion is recognized worldwide.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are discussing their travel plans at a café.
- Elena¿Te gusta el estilo europeo de este hotel?Do you like the European style of this hotel?
- JavierSí, es muy elegante, Elena.Yes, it is very elegant, Elena.
- ElenaPrefiero el diseño europeo para mi nueva casa.I prefer European design for my new house.
- JavierA mí también me parece muy bonito.I also think it is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “european” translations and entries europeo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries europeo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
