What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of más (more) and rico (rich).
Which one should you use?
While más rico refers to wealth, it can also mean 'tastier' when talking about food. If you want to use more formal alternatives, you might use más adinerado/a or más próspero/a to denote wealth. For more intense or colloquial meanings, más forrado/a suggests being 'loaded' or 'filthy rich', while más forrado/a de billetes specifically conveys being loaded with banknotes. In an informal context, más pijo/a can imply being affluent, often with a connotation of being posh or snobby.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico or Argentina, más opulento/a is a formal way to convey the idea of being richer.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person or subject being described. Use más rico for a man, más rica for a woman, más ricos for a group of men or a mixed group and más ricas for a group of women.
How do you pronounce it?
/mas ɾiko/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the adverbial form más ricamente to express the comparative 'richer'. Instead, use the adjective más rico.
Did you know?
- The word rico shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'king' and the Latin 'rex', as they both stem from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to rule'.
- The colloquial term más forrado evokes the image of someone whose clothes are physically lined with banknotes, rather than just having a high balance in a bank.
- In some contexts, más rico can describe a scent or a sensory experience, not just taste or money, implying something is 'richer' in quality or intensity.
Examples in context
- Soy más rico que Tom.I'm richer than Tom.This sentence demonstrates how to use más rico to compare wealth between individuals.Tatoeba #9855939 by Shishir, translation #8398846 by CK
- Él no es más rico que yo.He isn't richer than me.This sentence shows the negative comparison of wealth using más rico.Tatoeba #1948290 by teskmon, translation #818053 by Cindrogriza
- Ella le dejó por un hombre más rico.She dumped him for a richer man.This sentence shows the use of más rico to describe a person's partner.Tatoeba #1330826 by Shishir, translation #887097 by CK
- La empresa A es más rica que la empresa B.Company A is richer than company B.
- Él es más adinerado que sus vecinos.He is richer than his neighbors.
- Mi primo es más forrado que cualquier famoso de Hollywood.My cousin is richer/more loaded than any Hollywood celebrity.
- El nuevo vecino es más forrado de billetes que todos nosotros juntos.The new neighbor is richer/more loaded with banknotes than all of us combined.
- La familia García es más opulenta que la familia Rodríguez.The Garcia family is richer/more opulent than the Rodriguez family.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are discussing a wealthy neighbor.
- MateoNuestro vecino nuevo parece ser muy exitoso.Our new neighbor seems to be very successful.
- SofíaSí, creo que él es más rico que nosotros.Yes, I think he is richer than us.
- MateoTiene un coche muy caro y una mansión.He has a very expensive car and a mansion.
- SofíaDefinitivamente es el hombre más rico del barrio.He is definitely the richest man in the neighborhood.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries más, rico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
