resumen
/reˈsumen/masculine
In Spanish, the English phrase 'overview' can be translated in several ways depending on the context, such as resumen, visión de conjunto, descripción general, visualización conjunta or vista en conjunto.
Meaning: brief summary, as of a book or a presentation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| resumen | /reˈsumen/ | masculine |
| visión de conjunto | /bisjon de konxunto/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| descripción general | /deskɾibθjon xeneɾal/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /deskɾibsjon xeneɾal/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
| visualización conjunta | /biswaliθaθjon konxunta/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /biswalisasjon konxunta/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
| vista en conjunto | /bista en konxunto/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
The term is used to describe a brief summary, as of a book or a presentation (noun).
Which one should you use?
resumen is the most common way to say 'overview' when referring to a condensed version of a text or speech. visión de conjunto is used when the 'overview' refers to a conceptual or holistic understanding of a situation rather than a written summary. descripción general is often used in technical or instructional contexts to mean a high-level overview of a system or process.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of resumen is resúmenes, requiring an accent on the 'u' to maintain the stress on the same syllable.
How do you pronounce it?
/reˈsumen/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word visión shares a common ancient root with the English word 'wit', as both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *weyd- meaning 'to see'.
- The Spanish term visión de conjunto describes a holistic perspective and is often used as a compliment to describe someone who is a 'strategic thinker'.
- While an English 'overview' often implies looking down from above, the Spanish visión de conjunto focuses on the 'conjunto', or the way all parts are joined together into a whole.
Examples in context
- ¿Podría darme una vista general de la situación?Could you give me an overview of the situation?
- Por favor, haga un resumen de los puntos más importantesPlease provide an overview of the key points
- Permítame presentarles un panorama general de nuestro proyectoAllow me to present an overview of our project
- Hicimos una panorámica de la situaciónWe got an overview of the situation
- Déjame darte un resumen rápido de lo sucedidoLet me give you a quick overview of what happened
- Dame solo una pincelada de lo que visteJust give me a brief overview of what you saw
- El resumen del libro es muy interesante.The summary of the book is very interesting.
- ¿Puedes hacerme un resumen de la presentación?Can you give me an overview of the presentation?
- Necesito un resumen rápido de los puntos clave.I need a quick summary of the key points.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are discussing a project at the office.
- SofíaMateo, ¿tienes el resumen del proyecto?Mateo, do you have the project overview?
- MateoSí, Sofía, te lo envío por correo ahora.Yes, Sofía, I will send it to you by email now.
- SofíaGracias, lo necesito para la reunión de hoy.Thanks, I need it for today's meeting.
- MateoDe nada, espero que sea útil.You're welcome, I hope it is useful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “overview” translations and entries resumen, 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 conjunto, de, descripción, general, resumen, visión, visualización, CC BY-SA 4.0.
