porcentaje
/poɾθenˈtaxe/masculine
The English phrase "percentage" is translated into Spanish as porcentaje.
The word porcentaje is a masculine noun used to refer to a part of a whole. In technical or scientific discussions, you might also see the word proporción used instead of porcentaje.
Meaning: part of a whole (noun)
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the noun and the phrase used for specific values. While porcentaje is the noun for "percentage", the phrase por ciento is used to express an actual value, such as diez por ciento for "ten percent".
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of porcentaje is porcentajes.
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾθenˈtaxe/
What mistakes should you avoid?
When specifying what a percentage refers to, remember to include the preposition de after porcentaje.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American contexts, porcentaje can be used informally to refer to a 'cut' or a commission from a deal.
- The suffix -aje in porcentaje is a structural remnant of the Old French suffix -age, which was used to turn verbs into nouns representing an action or a collection.
- If you are reading a complex statistical report in Spanish, you may encounter puntos porcentuales when discussing a change in a rate, rather than just saying the percentage increased.
Examples in context
- ¿Cuál es el porcentaje de mercado extranjero para tus productos?What is the percentage of overseas markets for your products?This sentence is useful for asking about the porcentaje of overseas markets for products.Tatoeba #10076877 by camilou, translation #20162 by ColawithIce
- ¿Qué porcentaje de las enfermedades está asociado a dietas inadecuadas?What percentage of illnesses are associated with inadequate diets?This sentence shows how to ask what porcentaje of illnesses is associated with diets.Tatoeba #4377956 by umano, translation #4409858 by LB
- El cien por cien de los seres humanos mueren, y este porcentaje no puede aumentar.100 per cent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased.This sentence illustrates the use of porcentaje when discussing mortality rates.Tatoeba #981259 by Shishir, translation #733835 by Scott
- El porcentaje de aprobados en el examen fue del 80%.The percentage of passing grades on the exam was 80%.
- El tanto por ciento del descuento es de un 20%.The percentage of the discount is 20%.
- La proporción de mujeres en el equipo es del 40%.The proportion of women in the team is 40%.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are discussing their quarterly budget report.
- Elena¿Sabes qué porcentaje del presupuesto ya gastamos?Do you know what percentage of the budget we have already spent?
- DanielCreo que es un porcentaje bastante alto.I think it is a quite high percentage.
- ElenaDaniel, necesito que revises ese porcentaje de inmediato.Daniel, I need you to check that percentage immediately.
- DanielEstá bien, lo revisaré ahora mismo.Okay, I will check it right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “percentage” translations and entries porcentaje, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries porcentaje, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
