escaso
/esˈkaso/
The English word 'scarce' is translated into Spanish as escaso.
The adjective escaso is commonly used to describe a lack of resources, such as food, water or money.
Meaning: rare, in low supply (adj)
Which one should you use?
While escaso means scarce or in short supply, it is distinct from raro, which means rare in the sense of unusual or strange.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes to match the noun it describes: use escasa when the noun is feminine, escasos for masculine plural or mixed groups and escasas for feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˈkaso/
Did you know?
- In certain Spanish-speaking regions, if you say a person is escaso de luces, you are not saying they lack light, but rather that they are 'dim-witted' or 'slow on the uptake'.
- The Spanish word escaso shares the exact same Latin ancestor as the English word 'scarce', both originating from the action of 'plucking out' or selecting something specific.
- The phrase a escasos metros is a common idiom used to emphasize that something is 'only a few meters away', giving the distance a feeling of being surprisingly small.
Examples in context
- El petróleo es escaso en este país.Oil is scarce in this country.This sentence shows how to describe oil as being scarce using escaso.Tatoeba #1595121 by teskmon, translation #59271 by CK
- Los intercambios estudiantiles entre Japón y Colombia son realmente escasos.Student exchanges between Japan and Colombia are really scarce.This sentence uses escasos to describe how student exchanges are scarce.Tatoeba #4360644 by umano, translation #11217776 by DJ_Saidez
- El agua es un recurso escaso en esta región.Water is a scarce resource in this region.
- Hay escasa información sobre el tema que nos preocupa.There is scarce information about the issue that concerns us.
- Los recursos naturales son limitados.Natural resources are scarce.
- La oferta de entradas para el concierto es limitada.The ticket supply for the concert is scarce.
- Hay pocos lugares disponibles en el taller de pintura.There are scarce spots available in the painting workshop.
- En esta área rural, hay escasos recursos para la educación.In this rural area, there are scarce resources for education.
- Vivimos con escasos recursos económicos.We live with scarce financial resources.
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are talking about the prices at a local market.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿has visto lo que cuesta el aceite hoy?Daniel, have you seen how much oil costs today?
- DanielSí, es porque el suministro de aceite es escaso.Yes, it is because the supply of oil is scarce.
- ElenaEs un problema para todas las familias.It is a problem for all families.
- DanielEspero que las cosas mejoren pronto.I hope things improve soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scarce” translations and entries escaso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escaso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
