gasto
/ˈɡasto/
In Spanish, "spending" is translated as gasto.
The term gasto is used to describe the act of using money to pay for goods or services. If you are specifically referring to the action of spending, you would use the verb gastar.
Which one should you use?
While gasto refers to the amount or the act of spending, the verb gastar is used to describe the actual action of spending.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some South American countries, you might hear the word egreso used instead of gasto.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form gastos is commonly used to refer to business or household expenses.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡasto/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word gasto shares a common ancestor with the English word 'waste', both stemming from the Latin 'vastare', meaning 'to lay waste' or 'to devastate'.
- The word gasto is also used in Spanish to refer to 'wear and tear' on a machine or a piece of clothing, rather than just financial expenditure.
- While gasto is the standard word for 'spending', Spanish speakers use the verb despilfarrar when someone is spending money in a reckless or extravagant way.
Examples in context
- Necesito controlar mis gastos.I need to control my spending
- El gasto mensual es muy alto.The monthly spending is very high.
- Debemos reducir el gasto en comida.We must reduce spending on food.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are reviewing their monthly budget.
- DanielLucía, nuestro gasto en comida subió mucho.Lucía, our spending on food went up a lot.
- LucíaTienes razón, Daniel. Debemos cocinar más.You are right, Daniel. We should cook more.
- Daniel¿Podemos reducir el gasto en salidas?Can we reduce the spending on outings?
- LucíaSí, así ahorraremos más dinero.Yes, that way we will save more money.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gasto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gasto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
