pulgares
/pulɡaɾes/from spelling rules
The English phrase "thumbs" is translated into Spanish as pulgares.
The term refers to the short, thick first digits of the human hand.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form for a single thumb is pulgar, while the plural form for multiple thumbs is pulgares.
How do you pronounce it?
/pulɡaɾes/
When do people say it?
To indicate a thumbs-up gesture, one can use the phrase hacer el gesto de pulgar hacia arriba. In Mexico, the slang term chido is often used to describe something as cool or awesome.
Did you know?
- Be careful with your hand positioning, as a physical gesture involving the thumb that looks like a 'thumbs up' can be interpreted as an offensive insult in some Spanish-speaking cultures.
- In Spanish, the word pulgar is also used as a noun to refer to the traditional unit of measurement called an 'inch'.
- While English uses 'thumbing through' to describe flipping pages, Spanish uses the verb hojear, which comes from hoja meaning 'leaf' or 'page'.
Examples in context
- ¡Levanta el pulgar si estás de acuerdo conmigo!Raise your thumb if you agree with me!
- Los pulgares son muy fuertes.The thumbs are very strong.
- Me duelen los pulgares de tanto escribir.My thumbs hurt from writing so much.
- Sujeta el objeto con los pulgares.Hold the object with your thumbs.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are looking at a picture of a hand.
- Alejandro¿Ves esos pulgares en la foto?Do you see those thumbs in the photo?
- MaríaSí, son muy grandes.Yes, they are very large.
- AlejandroParece que le duelen los pulgares.It looks like his thumbs hurt.
- MaríaEs posible, parece cansado.It is possible, he looks tired.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
