supermercado
/ˌsupeɾmeɾˈkado/
The Spanish word for supermarket is supermercado.
Supermercado is the most common and widely understood term used to describe a supermarket in Spanish.
Meaning: store (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of super, meaning super and mercado, meaning market.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain regions, you may encounter the term almacén de comestibles to refer to a grocery store.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is masculine, so it is used with articles such as el (the) or un (a). The plural form is supermercados.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌsupeɾmeɾˈkado/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, people rarely use the full word supermercado in casual conversation, opting instead for the shortened version el super.
- In some Latin American countries, a very small local grocery store is called an abarrotes, which refers to the goods themselves.
- The term supermercado is a direct calque, meaning it was created by translating the English structure of 'super' + 'market' into Spanish.
Examples in context
- Yo fui al supermercado.I went to the supermarket.This sentence is useful for expressing that you went to the supermercado.Tatoeba #9663255 by baudelaire, translation #1165461 by CK
- Hay un gran supermercado.There is a large supermarket.This sentence is useful for stating that there is a large supermercado.Tatoeba #1427245 by marcelostockle, translation #515529 by CC
- Estaba en el supermercado.I was at the supermarket.This sentence is useful for saying you were at the supermercado.Tatoeba #5344106 by baudelaire, translation #2545569 by CK
- Voy al supermercadoI'm going to the supermarket
- ¿Dónde está el supermercado?Where is the supermarket?
- ¿Puede indicarme cómo llegar al supermercado?Can you tell me how to get to the supermarket?
- 90 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are deciding where to buy food.
- Lucía¿Necesitamos ir al supermercado hoy?Do we need to go to the supermarket today?
- JavierSí, no tenemos leche ni huevos.Yes, we don't have milk or eggs.
- LucíaVoy al supermercado ahora mismo.I am going to the supermarket right now.
- JavierGracias, Lucía. Trae también algunas manzanas.Thanks, Lucía. Also bring some apples.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “supermarket” translations and entries supermercado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries supermercado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
