tener canas
/teneɾ kanas/from spelling rules
To say that someone has grey hair in Spanish, you use tener canas.
This phrase is used to describe a person whose hair has turned grey or white due to aging.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'to have grey hairs' rather than 'to have grey hair'.
How does it change in a sentence?
There is a distinction between describing a state and a process. Use tener canas to describe the state of having grey hair, but use le salen canas to describe the process of grey hairs starting to appear. Additionally, you can use the verb encanecer to describe the process of hair turning grey.
How do you pronounce it?
/teneɾ kanas/
Did you know?
- The verb encanecer can be used to describe the process of turning grey, but in some literary contexts, it is used metaphorically to describe a person becoming pale with fear or shock.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the phrase tener canas is linked to the concept of 'wisdom' or 'experience', often used to justify someone's authority or seniority in a professional or family setting.
- The word canas comes from the Latin canus, which specifically referred to the white or hoary color of hair or beards, rather than a general color term like 'white'.
Examples in context
- La señora Pérez tiene cabello gris.Mrs. Pérez has grey hair.
- María tiene el pelo plateado.María has silver hair.
- Mi abuelo tiene muchas canas.My grandfather has a lot of grey hair.
- No quiero tener canas tan pronto.I don't want to have grey hair so soon.
- Ella empezó a tener canas este año.She started to have grey hair this year.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are looking at an old family photo.
- MateoMira a mi abuelo en esta foto.Look at my grandfather in this photo.
- SofíaEs verdad, él no solía tener canas.It's true, he didn't used to have grey hair.
- MateoSí, se veía mucho más joven.Yes, he looked much younger.
- SofíaAhora se ve muy distinguido.Now he looks very distinguished.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
