ciencia ficción
/ˌθjenθja fiɡˈθjon/feminine
Science fiction in Spanish is ciencia ficción.
The term ciencia ficción refers to the fiction genre of science fiction. In formal contexts, one might also use the phrase Literatura de anticipación, which translates to literature of anticipation.
Meaning: fiction genre (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ciencia (science) and ficción (fiction).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the noun is feminine, you must use the feminine article la when referring to the genre in a general sense, as in la ciencia ficción.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌθjenθja fiɡˈθjon/
Did you know?
- The term ciencia ficción is a literal 'calque' or loan translation, meaning it was built by mirroring the English structure directly into Spanish.
- The word ficción comes from the Latin 'fictio', which originally meant the act of shaping or molding, like a potter working with clay.
- In some Spanish literary circles, the term ficción especulativa is used to encompass ciencia ficción alongside fantasy and horror, mirroring the English 'speculative fiction'.
Examples in context
- No me interesa la ciencia ficción.I'm not interested in science fiction.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of interest in ciencia ficción.Tatoeba #2081681 by hayastan, translation #1871850 by CK
- A Mary no le gusta la ciencia ficción.Mary doesn't like science-fiction.This sentence is useful for stating that someone does not like ciencia ficción.Tatoeba #10010239 by manufrutos, translation #6854307 by Eccles17
- Él es un fanático de la ciencia ficción.He's a science fiction fanatic.This sentence is useful for describing a person as a fanatic of ciencia ficción.Tatoeba #1529541 by marcelostockle, translation #1529533 by erikspen
- Me encanta la ciencia ficciónI love science fiction
- Me gusta leer ciencia ficción porque me transporta a otros mundos.I enjoy reading science fiction because it transports me to other worlds.
- ¿Has leído alguna literatura de anticipación recientemente?Have you read any literature of anticipation lately?
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Javier are at a bookstore.
- María¿Te gusta la ciencia ficción, Javier?Do you like science fiction, Javier?
- JavierSí, me encanta ese género.Yes, I love that genre.
- MaríaYo también busco algo de ciencia ficción.I am also looking for some science fiction.
- JavierMira, hay libros nuevos en este estante.Look, there are new books on this shelf.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “science fiction” translations and entries ciencia ficción, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciencia, ciencia ficción, ficción, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
