paciencia
/paˈθjenθja/feminine
The English word 'patience' is paciencia in Spanish.
paciencia is a noun referring to the quality of being patient. To express the act of being patient or 'having patience', you use the verb tener (to have) with this noun, as in tener paciencia.
Meaning: quality of being patient (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
As a feminine noun, paciencia is preceded by the feminine article la when used with a definite article, forming la paciencia.
How do you pronounce it?
/paˈθjenθja/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the adjective paciente when they intend to use the noun paciencia.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word paciencia is derived from the Latin word patientia, which shares its root with the English word 'passion'.
- The expression armarse de paciencia literally means 'to arm oneself with patience', suggesting that patience is a weapon or a tool used to survive a difficult situation.
- While paciencia is a noun, the adjective paciente is also the Spanish word for a 'patient' in a hospital.
Examples in context
- Él agotó su paciencia.He has reached the end of his patience.This sentence demonstrates the use of paciencia.Tatoeba #1614750 by wallebot, translation #466912 by CK
- Su paciencia se acabó.His patience was up.Tatoeba #1658298 by wallebot, translation #8160444 by magnificentgoddess
- No pruebes mi paciencia.Don't try my patience.Tatoeba #1496979 by marcelostockle, translation #1495855 by CK
- Ten paciencia durante estos tiempos difíciles.Have patience during these challenging times.
- Es importante tener calma mientras resolvemos este problema.It's important to have patience as we solve this problem.
- Aguanta un poco más, ya casi llegamos.Hold on a bit longer, we're almost there.
- Espera con calma, llegará en cualquier momento.Wait patiently, it will arrive any moment now.
- Tranquilo, tómatelo con paciencia, todo saldrá bien.Relax, take it with patience, everything will be fine.
- 101 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are waiting in a long line at a bank.
- LucíaEsta fila es eterna.This line is eternal.
- AlejandroTen un poco de paciencia, Lucía.Have a little patience, Lucía.
- LucíaEs que ya estoy cansada.It's just that I'm already tired.
- AlejandroYa casi es nuestro turno.It's almost our turn.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “patience” translations and entries paciencia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries paciencia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
