Vía Láctea
/ˌbia ˈlaɡtea/
The English phrase "milky way galaxy" is translated into Spanish as Vía Láctea.
Vía Láctea is the name of the galaxy that contains our solar system. In formal contexts, you can also refer to it as Nuestra Galaxia (Our Galaxy).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Vía Láctea is composed of vía, meaning way or path and láctea, meaning milky.
How does it change in a sentence?
Vía Láctea is a feminine noun phrase and is almost always preceded by the definite article la (forming la Vía Láctea).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbia ˈlaɡtea/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the adjective láctea is used in the term glándula láctea to describe the mammary gland.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, vía is used as a preposition meaning 'via' or 'by way of', such as enviar vía correo to mean 'send by mail'.
- Spanish has a specific category of food called productos lácteos, which translates to 'dairy products' using the same root as Vía Láctea.
Examples in context
- El centro de nuestra galaxia, la Vía Láctea, nos es demasiado distante como para visitarlo en persona.The center of our Milky Way galaxy is too distant for us to visit in person.This sentence uses Vía Láctea to discuss the distance of the center of our galaxy.Tatoeba #10060946 by manufrutos, translation #9226871 by Hybrid
- El descubrimiento de nuevos planetas en la Vía Láctea es un gran avance para la astronomía.The discovery of new planets in the Milky Way Galaxy is a great advancement for astronomy.
- Los científicos están estudiando nuestra galaxia, la Vía Láctea, en busca de respuestas sobre el origen del universo.Scientists are studying our galaxy, the Milky Way, in search of answers about the origin of the universe.
- Miramos la Vía Láctea desde la montaña.We look at the Milky Way from the mountain.
- La Vía Láctea es inmensa y hermosa.The Milky Way is immense and beautiful.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are stargazing in the countryside.
- ElenaJavier, ¿puedes ver la Vía Láctea desde aquí?Javier, can you see the Milky Way from here?
- JavierSí, se ve increíblemente clara hoy.Yes, it looks incredibly clear today.
- ElenaMe pregunto cuántas estrellas hay en la Vía Láctea.I wonder how many stars are in the Milky Way.
- JavierSon miles de millones, Elena.There are billions, Elena.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry Vía Láctea, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
