tal como
/ˌtal ˈkomo/
The English phrase "such as" is translated into Spanish as tal como.
tal como is used to introduce illustrative examples that belong to a category previously mentioned in a sentence.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tal (such) and como (as).
How does it change in a sentence?
When the examples being introduced are plural and the speaker wishes to emphasize the relationship, the phrase can be inflected to tales como to match the gender and number of the preceding noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌtal ˈkomo/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, if you want to be extremely formal when listing examples, you might opt for verbigracia instead of the more common tal como.
- The word tal is used in the common Spanish idiom tal para cual, which describes two people who are perfectly matched, usually because they share the same negative traits.
- While tal como means 'such as' when listing examples, it can also mean 'exactly as' or 'just like' when describing the way something is done, such as saying déjalo tal como estaba for 'leave it just as it was'.
Examples in context
- Las películas de Shirwadkar abundan en el humor escatológico, tal como chistes de pedos.Shirwadkar's films abound in toilet humour, such as fart jokes.This sentence shows how to use tal como to provide an example of a specific type of humor.Tatoeba #9767524 by Eremon, translation #8685288 by sabretou
- ¿Qué pasaría si dos países poderosos con diferentes idiomas – tal como los Estados Unidos y China – aceptaran la enseñanza experimental del esperanto en las escuelas primarias?What would happen if two powerful nations with different languages – such as United States and China – would agree upon the experimental teaching of Esperanto in elementary schools?This sentence demonstrates how to use tal como when comparing two different nations.Tatoeba #825075 by juamoran, translation #714058 by Muelisto
- La conferencia contará con expertos en diversas áreas, tales como medicina, biología y psicología.The conference will feature experts in various fields, such as medicine, biology, and psychology.
- Existen diferentes tipos de música, como, por ejemplo, el rock, el jazz y el pop.There are different types of music, such as, for example, rock, jazz, and pop.
- En mi armario tengo ropa de diferentes colores, como rojo, azul y verde.In my closet, I have clothes of different colors, like red, blue, and green.
- Me gustan las actividades al aire libre, tipo caminar, nadar o montar en bicicleta.I like outdoor activities, like walking, swimming, or riding a bike.
- Prefiero las frutas cítricas, tal como la naranja.I prefer citrus fruits, such as oranges.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are talking about travel destinations.
- LucíaQuiero visitar países europeos, tal como Italia o Francia.I want to visit European countries, such as Italy or France.
- DanielSon excelentes opciones, Lucía.Those are excellent options, Lucía.
- Lucía¿Tú tienes algún lugar preferido?Do you have a preferred place?
- DanielYo prefiero ir a Asia.I prefer to go to Asia.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tal como, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
