ciencias sociales
/θjenθjas soθjales/from spelling rulesfeminine, plural
The English phrase social science is translated into Spanish as ciencias sociales.
ciencias sociales is used to refer to the branch of science known as social science.
Meaning: branch of science (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of ciencias (sciences) and sociales (social), which is the plural adjective form of social.
How does it change in a sentence?
ciencias sociales is a feminine plural noun phrase, so any accompanying articles or adjectives must also be feminine, such as las ciencias sociales. While ciencias sociales is the standard way to refer to the field, the singular la ciencia social can be used to refer to a specific social science.
How do you pronounce it?
/θjenθjas soθjales/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the singular ciencia social when they actually mean the academic field, which is almost always referred to in the plural as ciencias sociales in Spanish.
Did you know?
- In Spanish academic settings, the term ciencias sociales is often used as a broad umbrella that encompasses fields like geografía and economía, which are sometimes categorized separately in English-speaking universities.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the phrase ciencias sociales appears as a specific subject on the national curriculum for primary and secondary schools, often combined with history and civic education.
- In some historical Spanish texts, the term used to describe these studies was ciencias de la sociedad, a phrasing that has since been almost entirely replaced by the modern ciencias sociales.
Examples in context
- Los estudiantes de ciencias sociales exploran temas como la antropología, la sociología y la economía.Social science students explore topics such as anthropology, sociology and economics.
- Las ciencias sociales son muy interesantes.Social sciences are very interesting.
- Ella estudia las ciencias sociales en la universidad.She studies social sciences at the university.
- Necesito comprar libros de ciencias sociales.I need to buy social science books.
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking about their university studies.
- Javier¿Qué estudias tú, María?What do you study, María?
- MaríaEstudio las ciencias sociales.I study social sciences.
- Javier¡Qué bien! Yo estudio ingeniería.That's great! I study engineering.
- MaríaLas ciencias sociales y la ingeniería son muy distintas.Social sciences and engineering are very different.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “social science” translations and entries ciencias sociales, 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.
