Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| resumen | /reˈsumen/ | masculine |
| sumario | /suˈmaɾjo/ | masculine |
The term refers to a condensed presentation of information. You can use the verb resumir to say 'to summarize' or recapitular to say 'to recap'.
Which one should you use?
Use resumen for a general condensed presentation of information or a text. Use sumario specifically when referring to a legal summary, such as in a judicial proceeding or when referring to a table of contents or an index. Additionally, sumario can function as an adjective meaning 'concise' and both sumario and somero can be used as adjectives meaning 'cutting the procedures of a normal trial'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of resumen is resúmenes. The plural form of sumario is sumarios.
How do you pronounce it?
/reˈsumen/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use sumario when they mean a general summary of a book or article. You should use resumen for those purposes instead.
Did you know?
- The verb recapitular used for 'recapping' comes from the Latin word for 'chapter', suggesting the act of going back through the chapters of a story.
- The word sumario shares a root with the English word 'sum', as both derive from the Latin summa meaning 'the highest part' or 'total'.
- In a journalistic context, a sumario can refer to the short lead-in paragraph or 'deck' that appears below a headline to summarize the story.
Examples in context
- Tu resumen no está a la altura de lo esperado.Your summary is not up to par.This sentence is useful for practicing the word resumen in a negative context.Tatoeba #1637210 by teskmon, translation #16868 by papabear
- Lo siguiente es un resumen del discurso del presidente.The following is a summary of the President's speech.This sentence shows how to use resumen to introduce a condensed version of a speech.Tatoeba #1939297 by teskmon, translation #28380 by Kat
- Este resumen es demasiado escueto, hay que desarrollarlo más para que sea comprensible.This summary is too succinct, it needs further elaboration to make it understandable.This sentence demonstrates how to describe a resumen that is too brief.Tatoeba #5629578 by arh, translation #6634957 by arh
- Por favor, adjunte un resumen de su informe al final.Please attach a summary of your report at the end.
- La síntesis de la conferencia fue clara y concisa.The conference summary was clear and concise.
- Empieza con una recapitulación de lo que sucedió en la fiesta.Start with a summary of what happened at the party.
- Necesito que resumas el informe en una página.I need you to summarize the report in one page.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a project in the library.
- MaríaAlejandro, ¿ya escribiste el resumen del libro?Alejandro, did you already write the summary of the book?
- AlejandroSí, María, pero es muy corto.Yes, María, but it is very short.
- MaríaNo importa, solo necesito un resumen rápido.It doesn't matter, I just need a quick summary.
- AlejandroEstá bien, te lo envío ahora mismo.Alright, I'll send it to you right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “summary” translations and entries resumen, sumario, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries resumen, sumario, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
