mono de arena
/mono de aɾena/from spelling rules
The English phrase "sand monkey" is translated into Spanish as mono de arena.
mono de arena is the literal translation of the English phrase "sand monkey".
How do you pronounce it?
/mono de aɾena/
Did you know?
- The word mono is used in the slang phrase mono síndrome, which describes the physical and psychological cravings felt during drug withdrawal.
- While mono can mean 'monkey', in Spain it is also a very common way to say 'cute' or 'pretty' when describing clothes or objects.
- The word arena shares a common ancestor with the English word 'arena', referring to the sand that once covered the floors of Roman amphitheaters.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofia are playing at the beach.
- Javier¡Mira, Sofía! Hice un mono de arena.Look, Sofia! I made a sand monkey.
- SofíaEs muy gracioso, Javier.It is very funny, Javier.
- JavierAhora vamos a hacer otro mono de arena.Now we are going to make another sand monkey.
- Sofía¡Sí, hagámoslo juntos!Yes, let's do it together!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arena, de, mono, CC BY-SA 4.0.
