los dedos
/los dedos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "the fingers" is los dedos in Spanish.
los dedos refers specifically to the fingers of the hand or toes of the foot.
Which one should you use?
los dedos de la mano is used if you need to specify hand fingers to avoid confusion with toes.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of los dedos is el dedo.
How do you pronounce it?
/los dedos/
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Spanish, dedos is used for both fingers and toes and context distinguishes them.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, pointing with el dedo is considered rude, and people may use their chin or lips to indicate direction instead.
- The word dedo shares a common linguistic ancestor with the English word 'digit', both tracing back to the Latin 'digitus'.
- The phrase sacar el dedo refers to the gesture of sticking up the middle finger to insult someone.
Examples in context
- Me golpeé el dedo meñique con la puerta.I hit my pinky finger with the door.
- Me duelen los dedos.My fingers hurt.
- Él tiene los dedos largos.He has long fingers.
- Lávate los dedos con jabón.Wash your fingers with soap.
Example conversation
Daniel is showing María a new ring.
- DanielMira el anillo en los dedos.Look at the ring on the fingers.
- MaríaEs muy bonito, Daniel.It is very beautiful, Daniel.
- Daniel¿Tú también quieres uno?Do you want one too?
- MaríaSí, me gustaría mucho.Yes, I would like one very much.
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.
