lente
/ˈlente/feminine, masculine
The English word lens is lente in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists luneta and cristal.
Meaning: object focusing or defocusing the light passing through it (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| lente | /ˈlente/ | feminine, masculine |
| luneta | /luˈneta/ | feminine |
| cristal | /kɾisˈtal/ | masculine |
| luna | /ˈluna/ | feminine |
While lente refers to the specific object, the phrase lentes de contacto is used to specify contact lenses.
Which one should you use?
In scientific or optical contexts, lente is the precise term for a lens. In contrast, cristal refers more generally to the glass material itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form lentes is the standard way to refer to a pair of contact lenses.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of lente is /ˈlente/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use cristal to mean a lens. However, cristal refers to the glass material or a pane of glass rather than the optical component.
Did you know?
- The word lente shares a surprising history with the English word 'lentil', as both come from the Latin word for the legume.
- In many Spanish speaking countries, lentes is used as a general term for 'glasses' rather than just the lenses themselves.
- Spanish uses lente for both the human eye lens and a camera lens, mirroring the English dual use but using a single word for both biological and mechanical parts.
Examples in context
- Tom perdió una lente de contacto.Tom lost a contact lens.Tatoeba #1388077 by marcelostockle, translation #1093250 by CK
- Para hacer esas fotografías necesitas una lente cóncava.You will need a concave lens to take those photos.Tatoeba #10611106 by saverius, translation #10619381 by sangelo
- ¿Encontrarías mis lentes de contacto por mí?Will you find my contact lens for me?Tatoeba #606141 by arashi_29, translation #33559 by orcrist
- Necesito comprar un lente nuevo para mis anteojos.I need to buy a new lens for my glasses.
- El explorador observaba la naturaleza a través de su lente de alta calidad.The explorer was observing nature through his high-quality lens.
- Olvidé traer mis lentes de contacto. ¿Alguien tiene una lentilla de repuesto?I forgot to bring my contact lenses. Does anyone have a spare lens?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are looking at a broken camera in the living room.
- Alejandro¿Viste qué le pasó a la cámara?Did you see what happened to the camera?
- MaríaSí, creo que la lente se rompió.Yes, I think the lens broke.
- AlejandroEs una lástima, es muy nueva.That's a shame, it is very new.
- MaríaTendremos que comprar una lente nueva.We will have to buy a new lens.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lens” translations and entries lente, luneta, cristal, luna, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cristal, lente, luna, luneta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
