inteligente
/inteliˈxente/ [ĩn̪.t̪e.liˈxẽn̪.t̪e]
The Spanish word for 'intelligent' is inteligente.
inteligente is used to describe someone of high or especially quick cognitive capacity or someone who is bright.
Meaning: of high or especially quick cognitive capacity, bright (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective inteligente is invariant for gender, meaning it is the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. To form the plural, use inteligentes.
How do you pronounce it?
/in̪.t̪e.liˈxẽn̪.t̪e/ (6 syllables).
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'intelligent' is almost always positive, using certain related terms for 'smart' in Spanish can occasionally imply someone is 'cunning' or 'sly'.
- To describe someone who is street-smart or cunning rather than academically intelligent, Spanish uses the word espabilado. This implies a person is awake to the world and cannot be easily fooled.
- If you want to say someone is 'brainy' or 'smart' in a more colloquial way, you might use the word listo, though this can also mean 'ready' depending on the context.
Examples in context
- Él es muy inteligente.He's very intelligent.This sentence is useful for describing a male as very intelligent using inteligente.Tatoeba #1410088 by marcelostockle, translation #1386858 by Spamster
- Tom es muy inteligente.Tom is very intelligent.This sentence is useful for describing a person named Tom as very intelligent using inteligente.Tatoeba #1235206 by hayastan, translation #3436802 by CK
- Es guapo e inteligente.He's intelligent and good-looking.This sentence is useful for combining the qualities of being good-looking and intelligent using inteligente.Tatoeba #2151561 by Shishir, translation #1754726 by Spamster
- El científico es muy inteligente.The scientist is very intelligent.
- Su análisis perspicaz resolvió el problema.His insightful analysis solved the problem.
- María es muy lista. Siempre resuelve los acertijos rápidamente.María is very clever, she always solves puzzles quickly.
- ¡Ella es súper inteligente!She is super intelligent!
- 125 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are talking about a new classmate.
- AlejandroLa nueva estudiante parece muy inteligente.The new student seems very intelligent.
- MaríaSí, María es muy brillante.Yes, María is very bright.
- AlejandroElla resolvió el problema rápidamente.She solved the problem quickly.
- MaríaEs normal, ella es muy inteligente.It's normal, she is very intelligent.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “intelligent” translations and entries inteligente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
