Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| ingenuo | /inˈxenwo/ |
| cándido | /ˈkandido/ |
| caído del palto | /kaido del palto/ (from spelling rules) |
| caído del catre | /kaido del katɾe/ (from spelling rules) |
| caído del níspero | /kaido del nispeɾo/ (from spelling rules) |
| caído del zarzo | /kaido del θaɾθo/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /kaido del saɾso/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
| caído de la hamaca | /kaido de la amaka/ (from spelling rules) |
| caído de la cama | /kaido de la kama/ (from spelling rules) |
| caído de la esfera | /kaido de la esfeɾa/ (from spelling rules) |
| caído de la mata | /kaido de la mata/ (from spelling rules) |
| incauto | /inkauto/ (from spelling rules) |
These terms are used to describe someone who lacks experience, wisdom or judgment. While ingenuo is the most common and neutral way to express this, other words focus on different nuances, such as being easily tricked or being particularly innocent.
Which one should you use?
ingenuo is the standard and neutral term for naive. cándido often implies a sense of being innocent or pure-hearted. incauto is used specifically when a lack of judgment makes someone unwary or easy to deceive, focusing on a lack of caution rather than a general personality trait.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the masculine term cándido is commonly used to express the idea of being naive. Several colloquial phrases used to describe someone as extremely naive or totally inexperienced are used in various regions: caído del palto, caído del catre, caído del níspero, caído del zarzo, caído de la hamaca, caído de la cama, caído de la esfera and caído de la mata.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form ingenuo changes to the feminine form ingenua to agree with a female subject. The masculine form crédulo is also used in a formal context.
How do you pronounce it?
/inˈxenwo/
When do people say it?
The colloquial expression caído del níspero literally means 'fallen from the loquat tree' and is used to describe someone who is extremely naive or as if they have just arrived in the world without any experience.
Did you know?
- The word catre in the phrase caído del catre was borrowed from Portuguese and originally comes from the Tamil word kaṭṭil.
Examples in context
- Tom no es ingenuo.Tom isn't naive.This sentence shows the negation of the word ingenuo.Tatoeba #3527462 by cueyayotl, translation #3171279 by CK
- Es un poco ingenuo.He's a bit naive.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a bit naive using ingenuo.Tatoeba #5027579 by don_ramon, translation #1633862 by Spamster
- Deja de ser tan ingenuo.Stop being so naive.This sentence is useful for telling someone to stop being so naive using ingenuo.Tatoeba #5027577 by don_ramon, translation #3531758 by CK
- No seas ingenuo, esas ofertas son demasiado buenas para ser verdad.Don't be naive, those offers are too good to be true.
- Su crédula actitud lo llevó a caer en múltiples estafas.His naive attitude led him to fall for multiple scams.
- No seas iluso, ellos solo quieren aprovecharse de ti.Don't be naive, they just want to take advantage of you.
- Su actitud cándida le hace fácilmente engañable.His naive attitude makes him easily deceived.
- 45 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing a suspicious online offer.
- LucíaJavier, no compres eso, es una estafa.Javier, don't buy that, it's a scam.
- JavierPero el precio es muy bajo.But the price is very low.
- LucíaNo seas ingenuo, nadie regala dinero.Don't be naive, nobody gives away money.
- JavierTienes razón, voy a cerrar la página.You're right, I'm going to close the page.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “naive” translations and entries ingenuo, cándido, incauto, 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 catre, caído, cándido, del, ingenuo, palto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
