retrato
/reˈtɾato/masculine
The English word "portrait" is retrato in Spanish.
The word retrato can refer to a painting, a drawing or a photograph of a person. If you are discussing the medium itself, you might use pintura for painting, fotografía for photography or arte for art. A person who specializes in making these is called a retratista, or portrait artist.
Meaning: painting of a person (noun)
Which one should you use?
While retrato is the general term for a portrait, you can use the diminutive retratito informally to refer to a small or informal portrait.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form is retrato and the plural form is retratos.
How do you pronounce it?
/reˈtɾato/
Did you know?
- In a legal context, a retrato hablado is a composite sketch created by a police artist based on a witness description.
- In Spanish, ser el retrato vivo de alguien is a common idiom meaning to be the spitting image of someone.
- The word retrato shares an ancient root with the English word 'tract', appearing in both languages through the concept of 'drawing back' or 'pulling back'.
Examples in context
- Veo el retrato de un niño.I see the portrait of a child.This sentence shows how to use retrato when referring to a child.Tatoeba #3104064 by marcelostockle, translation #10097184 by Alairis
- El retrato tenía un fondo oscuro.The portrait had a dark background.This sentence uses retrato to describe a portrait with a dark background.Tatoeba #2268460 by cueyayotl, translation #2268459 by _undertoad
- Un retrato de mi abuelo está colgado en la pared.A portrait of my grandad is hanging on the wall.This sentence demonstrates the use of retrato when talking about a portrait hanging on a wall.Tatoeba #1852195 by Shishir, translation #12285493 by mollydot
- Admiro la delicadeza de su retrato.I admire the delicacy of your portrait.
- Todos quedaron fascinados con el cuadro de su abuela.Everyone was fascinated with his grandmother's portrait.
- Me gustaría tener el retrato de mi madre.I would like to have my mother's portrait.
- Este retrato es una verdadera obra de arte.This portrait is a true work of art.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are visiting an art museum.
- MateoMira este retrato, es muy realista.Look at this portrait, it is very realistic.
- SofíaSí, el retrato capta bien su expresión.Yes, the portrait captures his expression well.
- Mateo¿Quién pintó el retrato?Who painted the portrait?
- SofíaNo lo sé, Sofía no ve el nombre.I don't know, Sofía doesn't see the name.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “portrait” translations and entries retrato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries retrato, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
