ciclo de vida
/θiklo de bida/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase life cycle is translated into Spanish as ciclo de vida. Wiktionary also lists ciclo vital.
Meaning: course of stages through which an organism passes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ciclo de vida | /θiklo de bida/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /siklo de bida/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
| ciclo vital | /θiklo bital/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /siklo bital/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
Both forms refer to the course of stages through which an organism passes.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ciclo de vida is a literal translation of cycle of life, where ciclo means cycle and vida means life.
Which one should you use?
ciclo vital is a more concise, adjective-based alternative. Ciclo vital is frequently used in scientific or biological contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, you pluralize the noun ciclo to ciclos, resulting in ciclos de vida. Additionally, when you want to say 'of the life cycle', the preposition de and the article el contract into del, forming del ciclo de vida.
Did you know?
- The word ciclo shares a common ancestor with the Sanskrit word 'chakra', as both stem from the same concept of a circle or wheel.
- In Spanish, the word vida is used to describe the remaining 'life' or 'lifespan' of inanimate objects, such as the vida of a battery or a lightbulb.
- The term ciclo is used in Spanish to describe specific multi-year academic degree programs or training periods in a way that English does not.
Examples in context
- El ciclo de vida de los anfibios consta de tres etapas: huevo, larva y adulto.The life cycle of an amphibian consists of three stages: egg, larva and adult.This sentence is useful for illustrating the stages of the ciclo de vida in amphibians.Tatoeba #1211312 by nancy, translation #1343438 by Chrikaru
- El ciclo de vida de una mariposa consta de cuatro etapas: huevos, larva, pupa y adulto.The life cycle of a butterfly consists of four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, and adult.
- En la naturaleza, todas las especies pasan por diferentes etapas de vida.In nature, all species go through different life stages.
- El ciclo vital de una planta incluye la germinación, el crecimiento y la reproducción.The life cycle of a plant includes germination, growth, and reproduction.
- El ciclo biológico de un animal varía según su especie.The biological life cycle of an animal varies depending on its species.
- Estudiamos el ciclo de vida de la mariposa.We studied the life cycle of the butterfly.
- El ciclo de vida de esta planta es muy corto.The life cycle of this plant is very short.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a biology project in a library.
- María¿Conoces el ciclo de vida de las abejas, Mateo?Do you know the life cycle of bees, Mateo?
- MateoNo, pero puedo investigarlo para la clase.No, but I can research it for the class.
- MaríaSería genial si pudieras ayudarme con la investigación.It would be great if you could help me with the research.
- MateoClaro, María, cuenta conmigo.Sure, María, count on me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “life cycle” translations and entries ciclo de vida, ciclo vital, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciclo, de, vida, vital, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
