los Países Bajos
/los paises baxos/from spelling rules
The phrase for the country Netherlands in Spanish is los Países Bajos.
los Países Bajos is used to refer to the sovereign country located in northwestern Europe.
What does it mean word for word?
The term Países Bajos literally translates to 'Low Countries'.
Which one should you use?
While Países Bajos refers to the country as a whole, Holanda is often used colloquially to refer to the same place, though technically it only refers to a specific region within the country.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, Colombia and parts of Central America, Holanda is commonly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The name is a masculine plural noun phrase and is almost always used with the definite article los.
Did you know?
- The plural article los in los Países Bajos descends from the Latin word illōs, which was used as a plural masculine accusative.
- Spanish treats the country as a plural entity, meaning you must use plural verbs and adjectives like son instead of the singular es.
- The use of the definite article los is mandatory in most Spanish contexts when referring to the country. Writing just Países Bajos without the article can sound unnatural or incomplete to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- El embajador de España visitó los Países Bajos esta semana.The Spanish ambassador visited the Netherlands this week.
- Estoy planeando unas vacaciones en Holanda el próximo verano.I'm planning a vacation in the Netherlands next summer.
- Yo quiero viajar a los Países Bajos.I want to travel to the Netherlands.
- ¿Has estado alguna vez en los Países Bajos?Have you ever been to the Netherlands?
- Los Países Bajos tienen canales muy bonitos.The Netherlands has very beautiful canals.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their travel plans at a cafe.
- AlejandroSofía, ¿te gustaría ir a los Países Bajos?Sofía, would you like to go to the Netherlands?
- SofíaSí, me encantaría visitar ese país.Yes, I would love to visit that country.
- AlejandroPodemos buscar vuelos para los Países Bajos mañana.We can look for flights to the Netherlands tomorrow.
- SofíaEs una idea excelente, Alejandro.That is an excellent idea, Alejandro.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
