La Bella Durmiente
/la beʝa duɾmjente/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "sleeping beauty" is translated as La Bella Durmiente.
This phrase refers to the name of the fairy tale character.
Meaning: fairy tale (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of La (the), Bella (beautiful) and Durmiente (sleeping/one who sleeps).
Which one should you use?
La Princesa Durmiente is a formal term for 'Sleeping Beauty' that translates to "The Sleeping Princess."
How do you pronounce it?
/la beʝa duɾmjente/
Did you know?
- The word durmiente is also used in Spanish to describe a 'railway sleeper' or the wooden beams under train tracks. This usage was borrowed directly from the English term 'sleeper'.
- While Bella means 'beautiful', in many Spanish-speaking countries it is rarely used as a general adjective for people in daily speech and is reserved for poetic or fairy tale contexts.
- If you want to describe a person who sleeps a lot in a casual way, you might call them a dormilón instead of using the more poetic durmiente.
Examples in context
- Ana, eres nuestra Bella DurmienteAna, you are our Sleeping Beauty
- En su última novela, el autor presenta una versión contemporánea de la historia de La Bella Durmiente.In his latest novel, the author presents a contemporary version of the story of Sleeping Beauty.
- Había una vez una princesa llamada La Bella Durmiente.Once upon a time there was a princess called Sleeping Beauty.
- Me gusta mucho la historia de La Bella Durmiente.I really like the story of Sleeping Beauty.
- ¿Has leído el cuento de La Bella Durmiente?Have you read the tale of Sleeping Beauty?
- La Bella Durmiente es un personaje de cuento.Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale character.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their favorite classic stories.
- Daniel¿Cuál es tu cuento favorito, María?What is your favorite fairy tale, María?
- MaríaMe encanta La Bella Durmiente.I love Sleeping Beauty.
- DanielEs un clásico muy bonito.It is a very beautiful classic.
- MaríaSí, Daniel, es muy especial.Yes, Daniel, it is very special.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleeping beauty” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries durmiente, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
