Tengo el pelo castaño
/tenɡo el pelo kastaɲo/from spelling rules
Tengo el pelo castaño is the Spanish way to say "I have brown hair".
This phrase is used to describe the natural color of one's hair. While the word marrón is the general term for the color brown, Spanish speakers use the specific term castaño when referring to hair or eye color.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "I have the hair brown".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase el pelo castaño, the adjective castaño follows the noun pelo.
How do you pronounce it?
/tenɡo el pelo kastaɲo/
Did you know?
- If a person has very dark brown hair, they may skip castaño and simply say tengo el pelo negro, even if the hair is technically a very dark brown.
- The word pelo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'pile', which refers to a tuft or a fine layer of short hair.
- Spanish uses the definite article el in el pelo where English uses no article. This phrasing treats 'the hair' as a general physical characteristic rather than a specific clump of hair.
Examples in context
- Tengo el pelo castaño.I have brown hair.This example shows how to state that you have brown hair using Tengo el pelo castaño.Tatoeba #730189 by Shishir, translation #436665 by lukaszpp
- Tengo el cabello castaño oscuro.I have dark brown hair.
- Tengo el cabello largo, lacio y castaño.I have long, straight, brown hair.
- Tengo el pelo castaño natural.I have naturally brown hair.
- No me gusta el tinte, tengo el pelo castaño.I don't like hair dye, I have brown hair.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their appearance during a photo shoot.
- María¿Cómo es tu pelo?What is your hair like?
- MateoTengo el pelo castaño, María.I have brown hair, Maria.
- María¡Qué bien! Te queda muy bien.That's great! It looks very good on you.
- MateoGracias, es mi color natural.Thanks, it is my natural color.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries castaño, el, pelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
