homo sapiens
/omo sapjens/from spelling rules
The English phrase "homo sapien" is translated into Spanish as homo sapiens.
homo sapiens is a scientific phrase used to refer to the human species.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, 'ser humano' may be replaced with 'humano' alone.
Did you know?
- While 'homo sapiens' is used in biology, a Spanish speaker would find it quite jarring if you used it in a casual conversation to mean 'a person'. In everyday speech, calling someone 'un homo sapiens' can sound unintentionally clinical or even mocking.
- Spanish speakers often use the term el hombre to mean 'humanity' or 'mankind' in a biological sense, even when referring to both sexes in a scientific context.
- In many Spanish-speaking academic circles, the word 'sapiens' is treated as an invariable part of the name. Unlike standard Spanish adjectives that change ending to match gender or number, 'sapiens' stays exactly the same regardless of what it describes.
Examples in context
- El ser humano ha evolucionado a lo largo de millones de años.The human being has evolved over millions of years.
- Los Homo sapiens son personas fascinantes.Homo sapiens are fascinating people.
- El Homo sapiens es una especie inteligente.Homo sapiens is an intelligent species.
- Estudiamos la evolución del Homo sapiens.We study the evolution of Homo sapiens.
- El Homo sapiens vive en todo el mundo.Homo sapiens lives all over the world.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are discussing a science documentary.
- Alejandro¿Viste el documental sobre el Homo sapiens?Did you see the documentary about Homo sapiens?
- ElenaSí, es fascinante la historia de nuestra especie.Yes, the history of our species is fascinating.
- AlejandroEs increíble cómo el Homo sapiens sobrevivió.It is incredible how Homo sapiens survived.
- ElenaTienes razón, Alejandro, fue un proceso largo.You're right, Alejandro, it was a long process.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
