memoria
/meˈmoɾja/
The English word 'memoir' is translated into Spanish as memoria.
A memoir is a book describing the personal experiences of an author. In Spanish, when talking about the literary genre of a person's life story, the plural memorias is much more common than the singular memoria.
Meaning: book describing the personal experiences of an author (noun)
Which one should you use?
While memorias refers to a written memoir, the singular memoria often refers to the mental faculty of memory or a technical report.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form memorias is the standard way to refer to a published memoir or a collection of personal recollections.
How do you pronounce it?
/meˈmoɾja/
What mistakes should you avoid?
When you want to talk about a book of personal recollections, use the plural memorias instead of the singular memoria, which often refers to the mental faculty of memory.
Did you know?
- In a legal or professional context, a memoria is not a personal story but a technical document or a detailed report describing a specific project or task.
- In computer science, the Spanish word for computer 'memory' is also memoria, meaning the term is used for both human cognition and digital hardware.
- The phrase perder la memoria describes both the medical condition of amnesia and the simple act of forgetting a detail.
Examples in context
- Mis amigos me obligaron a escribir mis memorias.My friends pushed me to write a memoir.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the plural memorias when discussing the act of writing a memoir.Tatoeba #4556669 by swyter, translation #4555574 by AlanF_US
- Su autobiografía es una profunda reflexión sobre su vida.His memoir is a profound reflection on his life.
- Las memorias del famoso escritor fueron elogiadas por su honestidad y fluidez narrativa.The writer's memoirs were praised for their honesty and narrative fluency.
- Mi tía está escribiendo sus recuerdos para compartirlos con la familia.My aunt is writing her memoirs to share them with the family.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are browsing a bookstore.
- LucíaMira esta memoria sobre la guerra.Look at this memoir about the war.
- MateoParece un libro muy triste, Lucía.It looks like a very sad book, Lucía.
- LucíaSí, pero la memoria es fascinante.Yes, but the memoir is fascinating.
- MateoVamos a comprarlo entonces.Let's buy it then.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry memoria, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
