hombre
/ˈombɾe/masculine
The English word man is translated into Spanish as hombre. Wiktionary also lists varón.
Meaning: adult male human (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hombre | /ˈombɾe/ | masculine |
| varón | /baˈɾon/ | masculine |
The primary word for an adult male human is hombre. You may also encounter varón, which is used specifically to denote biological sex or a male offspring.
Which one should you use?
While hombre refers to an adult male human, varón is used specifically to denote biological sex or a male offspring.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of hombre is hombres, formed by adding -es to the end.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈombɾe/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, hombre is used as an interjection similar to 'man' or 'dude' in English to express surprise, disbelief or frustration, even when the speaker is not talking to a man.
- The word hombre is distantly related to the concept of being an 'earthling' through its Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰmṓ.
- While hombre is the standard term, using varón to describe a man in a social setting would sound unnaturally clinical, as if you were reading a medical report.
Examples in context
- Veo a un hombre.I see a man.This sentence shows how to use hombre to identify a single person.Tatoeba #2195237 by marcelostockle, translation #4573426 by imjcooper
- Tom es un hombre.Tom is a man.This sentence shows how to use hombre to identify a specific person.Tatoeba #2463921 by marcelostockle, translation #2442285 by danepo
- Ya soy un hombre.I'm a man now.This sentence shows the use of hombre when describing a change in status.Tatoeba #9855752 by Shishir, translation #3737009 by CK
- 1429 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are walking in a park.
- MateoEse hombre lleva una chaqueta roja.That man is wearing a red jacket.
- MaríaSí, es un hombre muy alto.Yes, he is a very tall man.
- Mateo¿Conoces a ese hombre?Do you know that man?
- MaríaNo, nunca he visto a ese hombre.No, I have never seen that man.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “man” translations and entries hombre, varón, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hombre, varón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
