pálido
/ˈpalido/
The English word 'pale' is translated into Spanish as pálido.
The adjective pálido is used to describe a lack of color, often referring to a sickly or bloodless complexion. If you wish to describe the process of someone's face losing color due to shock, fear or illness, you can use the verb palidecer. An informal way to say someone is 'pale as a ghost' is to use the expression pálido como un fantasma.
Meaning: light in color (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word paliducho is used informally to describe someone who looks pale.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective pálido must agree in both gender and number with the noun it modifies. It changes to pálida for feminine nouns, and to the plural forms pálidos or pálidas for plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpalido/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American regions, the term pálido is used as slang to describe someone who is extremely frightened or terrified.
- The Spanish verb palidecer is often used metaphorically in literature to describe the fading of glory, power or prestige.
- While pálido describes a person's skin, Spanish speakers use the word pálido to describe a sound or color that lacks intensity or brilliance.
Examples in context
- Te ves tan pálido.You look very pale.This sentence uses pálido to describe someone looking very pale.Tatoeba #1368370 by marcelostockle, translation #15912 by CK
- Hoy te ves pálido.You look pale today.This sentence uses pálido to describe someone looking pale today.Tatoeba #1403607 by marcelostockle, translation #16130 by CK
- Tom se quedó pálido.Tom went pale.This sentence uses pálido to describe the moment someone went pale.Tatoeba #5567536 by swyter, translation #2240210 by CK
- Mi amigo tiene la piel pálida debido a su enfermedad.My friend has pale skin due to his illness.
- Estos cuadros antiguos lucen descoloridos después de tanto tiempo.These old paintings look pale after all this time.
- Después de la larga caminata bajo el sol, Juan estaba pálido como un fantasma.After the long walk under the sun, Juan was pale as a ghost.
- Después de la noche sin dormir, María tenía un aspecto paliducho.After the sleepless night, María had a pale-ish look.
- pálido como la nievePale as snow
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are looking at paint samples for a nursery.
- Alejandro¿Te gusta este color de pintura?Do you like this paint color?
- MaríaEs un poco pálido para mi gusto.It is a bit pale for my taste.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿prefieres uno más oscuro?Maria, do you prefer a darker one?
- MaríaSí, busquemos algo con más color.Yes, let's look for something with more color.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pale” translations and entries pálido, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
