país del tercer mundo
/pais del teɾθeɾ mundo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "third world country" is translated into Spanish as país del tercer mundo.
The phrase país del tercer mundo refers to a country characterized by low levels of industrialization and a poor standard of living. In formal, political or academic settings, speakers often prefer to use país en vías de desarrollo (developing country) to avoid the negative connotations associated with the term "third world."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of país (country), del (of the), tercer (third) and mundo (world).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, the term país en desarrollo is used interchangeably with país en vías de desarrollo.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ordinal number tercero (third) drops its final o to become tercer when it is placed immediately before a masculine singular noun, such as mundo.
Did you know?
- The word mundo can be used in the phrase todo el mundo to mean 'everyone' instead of 'the whole world'.
- The word país actually shares a common ancestor with the English word 'page' through the Latin 'pagus', which referred to a rural district or territory.
- The term tercer mundo is often used ironically by native speakers to describe a broken elevator, a messy room, or any chaotic situation even within a wealthy nation.
Examples in context
- La conferencia discutirá los problemas que afectan a los países subdesarrollados.The conference will discuss the issues affecting underdeveloped countries.
- Nuestro objetivo es ofrecer apoyo a los países subdesarrollados para que puedan superar sus desafíos.Our goal is to offer support to underdeveloped countries so they can overcome their challenges.
- Ese es un país del tercer mundo.That is a third world country.
- No quieres vivir en un país del tercer mundo.You do not want to live in a third world country.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are discussing international development over coffee.
- Daniel¿Crees que este es un país del tercer mundo?Do you think this is a third world country?
- LucíaNo, Daniel, tiene mucha industria moderna.No, Daniel, it has a lot of modern industry.
- DanielTienes razón, no es un país del tercer mundo.You are right, it is not a third world country.
- LucíaExacto, su nivel de vida es muy alto.Exactly, its standard of living is very high.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries del, mundo, país, tercer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
