poema
/poˈema/masculine
The Spanish word for poem is poema. Wiktionary also lists poesía.
Meaning: literary piece written in verse (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| poema | /poˈema/ | masculine |
| poesía | /poeˈsia/ | feminine |
The term is used to describe a literary piece written in verse.
Which one should you use?
poema refers to a specific, individual poem, whereas poesía can refer to the art of poetry in general or to a specific poem when used in a more abstract or lyrical sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
poema is a masculine noun, despite the fact that it ends in -a. Conversely, poesía is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/poˈema/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because poema ends in -a, English speakers often mistakenly use the feminine article la, but you must use the masculine article el poema.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word poesía can describe a person's voice or a scene's atmosphere, meaning it possesses a lyrical or soulful quality regardless of whether words are spoken.
- Unlike many other artistic terms that came directly from Latin, poesía is a loanword that arrived in Spanish through French influence.
- The gender of poema is a classic trap for learners because its masculine gender is a remnant of its Ancient Greek roots, where similar nouns didn't follow the Latin 'a' equals feminine rule.
Examples in context
- Es un gran poema.That's a great poem.This sentence uses poema to describe a great piece of work.Tatoeba #453628 by Shishir, translation #395034 by CK
- Es un poema famoso.It's a famous poem.This sentence uses poema to indicate that a poem is well-known.Tatoeba #1862086 by marcelostockle, translation #10512004 by ddnktr
- Es una linda poesía.It's a beautiful poem.This sentence uses poesía to describe a poem in a beautiful or lyrical way.Tatoeba #1431939 by marcelostockle, translation #12912468 by rul
- Leo un poema de Rubén Darío en voz alta.I am reading a poem by Rubén Darío out loud.
- Juan me recitó unos versos que había escrito.Juan recited some verses he had written to me.
- Escribí una poesía para expresar mis sentimientos.I wrote a poem to express my feelings.
- María escribió un lindo poemita para su novio.María wrote a cute little poem for her boyfriend.
- Me deleité con las coplas de Violeta Parra.I enjoyed Violeta Parra's coplas.
- 107 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are at a cafe discussing a book.
- Daniel¿Has leído este poema?Have you read this poem?
- ElenaNo, pero parece interesante.No, but it looks interesting.
- DanielEs un poema muy bonito.It is a very beautiful poem.
- ElenaGracias por la recomendación, Daniel.Thanks for the recommendation, Daniel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poem” translations and entries poema, poesía, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries poema, poesía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
