en el supermercado
/en el supeɾmeɾkado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "in the supermarket" is translated into Spanish as en el supermercado.
In casual conversation, Spanish speakers often shorten supermercado to súper, leading to the informal versions en el súper or en el super.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of en (in), el (the, masculine singular) and supermercado (supermarket).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because supermercado is a masculine noun, you must use the masculine article el rather than the feminine la.
How do you pronounce it?
/en el supeɾmeɾkado/
Did you know?
- The word supermercado is a direct 'calque', meaning it was created by translating the structure of the English word 'supermarket' into Spanish rather than evolving naturally from ancient roots.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you are 'in the supermarket' but only popping in for one thing, you might say you are haciendo un mandado, which refers to running a specific errand.
- The root mercado comes from the Latin 'mercatus', which is also the ancestor of the English word 'market' and 'mercenary'.
Examples in context
- Ella es una empleada en el supermercado.She is a clerk in the supermarket.This sentence is useful for identifying a person's place of work with en el supermercado.Tatoeba #1745453 by marcelostockle, translation #310949 by CK
- Los huevos se compran en el supermercado.The eggs were bought in the supermarket.This sentence shows how to describe purchasing items with en el supermercado.Tatoeba #6199893 by baudelaire, translation #7633922 by kaesekaiser
- Anoche se produjo un incendio en el supermercado.A fire broke out in the supermarket last night.This sentence demonstrates using en el supermercado to describe an event occurring at a location.Tatoeba #4534005 by cueyayotl, translation #244771 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are planning their shopping trip.
- Alejandro¿Dónde estamos?Where are we?
- LucíaEstamos en el supermercado, Alejandro.We are in the supermarket, Alejandro.
- AlejandroNecesito comprar leche y pan.I need to buy milk and bread.
- LucíaBusquemos el pasillo de los lácteos.Let's look for the dairy aisle.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, en, supermercado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
