Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| random | /ˈrandom/ | |
| al azar | /al aˈθaɾ/ /al aˈsaɾ/ |
adverb |
You can use aleatorio as a proper adjective for things like random processes, or the phrase al azar to describe how an action is performed. If you want to describe something happening in an arbitrary manner, you can use de manera arbitraria or use the idiom a la buena de Dios to convey that something is being done by God's will or randomly.
Which one should you use?
The English word 'random' is often used as an adjective, but in Spanish, you will frequently use the adverbial phrase al azar to express the action of doing something 'at random'. For a strictly formal adjective, such as when referring to a random number or process, use aleatorio.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈrandom/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may be tempted to use the English loanword random in Spanish, but in most contexts, al azar or aleatorio is the correct Spanish term.
Did you know?
- In modern youth slang in Spain and Latin America, the English loanword random is used as an adjective to describe people or situations that are weird or out of place.
- The English word 'hazard' is a direct relative of the Spanish azar, sharing the same Arabic root relating to games of chance.
- The term azar is used in Spanish to describe 'fate' or 'destiny' in a way that 'random' is not used in English.
Examples in context
- Fueron elegidos al azar.They were chosen at random.This sentence shows how to use al azar to describe people being chosen.Tatoeba #5140909 by don_ramon, translation #4877639 by jshholland
- Él compró libros al azar.He bought books at random.This sentence demonstrates using al azar to describe the way books were bought.Tatoeba #1456196 by marcelostockle, translation #299242 by AlanF_US
- Elige tres libros al azar.Choose three books at random.This sentence provides an example of choosing items al azar.Tatoeba #1185870 by marcelostockle, translation #36849 by CM
- Seleccionar una carta aleatoriaSelect a random card
- Las muestras fueron seleccionadas de manera arbitrariaThe samples were chosen randomly
- Escoge una respuesta al tuntúnChoose a random answer
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are sitting in a cafe.
- LucíaMe hizo un comentario random.He made a random comment to me.
- Mateo¿De qué hablabas?What were you talking about?
- LucíaNo sé, fue algo muy random.I don't know, it was something very random.
- MateoA veces la gente dice cosas así.Sometimes people say things like that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “random” translations and entries random, al azar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries al azar, azar, random, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
