proporción
/pɾopoɾθjon/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'ratio' is translated into Spanish as proporción.
In Spanish, proporción is used to express the relationship between two quantities, similar to the English mathematical term 'ratio'.
Meaning: arithmetics: relative magnitude of two quantities expressed as quotient (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of proporción is proporciones.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɾopoɾθjon/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers may be confused because while razón can mean 'ratio' in specific mathematical contexts, proporción is the more common term for general proportions or ratios in many contexts.
Did you know?
- While proporción is the standard term, if you use the word razón in a non-mathematical conversation, people might think you are talking about a 'reason' or a 'motive' rather than a mathematical ratio.
- In Spanish, proporción describes not just mathematical ratios but also the physical harmony of a person's body or a building's design. If a painting is 'out of proportion', a speaker would say it lacks proporción.
- The word proporción is a direct descendant of the Latin prōportiōnem, which combined the prefix prō meaning 'for' and portiō meaning 'part'.
Examples in context
- La aplicación te permite calcular rápidamente la proporción del índice de masa corporal – IMC.The application allows you to quickly calculate the ratio of body mass index – BMI.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use proporción when discussing a body mass index calculation.Tatoeba #1166717 by marcelostockle, translation #1131479 by perry
- La razón entre los estudiantes y los profesores es de 30 a 1The ratio of students to teachers is 30 to 1
- La relación entre el diámetro y la circunferencia de un círculo es piThe ratio between the diameter and the circumference of a circle is pi
- La proporción de hombres a mujeres en la fiesta es de 3 a 1The ratio of men to women at the party is 3 to 1
- El cocinero utilizó una proporción de 3 tazas de harina por cada huevoThe cook used a ratio of 3 cups of flour per egg
- La proporción de agua y arroz es de dos a uno.The ratio of water to rice is two to one.
- Debemos mantener una proporción constante en la mezcla.We must maintain a constant ratio in the mixture.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are mixing paint for a project.
- JavierLucía, ¿cuál es la proporción de pintura blanca?Lucía, what is the ratio of white paint?
- LucíaUsa una proporción de tres a uno, Javier.Use a ratio of three to one, Javier.
- JavierEstá bien, así el color quedará más claro.All right, that way the color will be lighter.
- LucíaExacto, esa es la proporción correcta.Exactly, that is the correct ratio.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries proporción, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
