ciclo del agua
/θiklo del aɡwa/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase water cycle is translated into Spanish as ciclo del agua. Wiktionary also lists ciclo hidrológico.
Meaning: the natural cycle of water through evaporation, condensation and precipitation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ciclo del agua | /θiklo del aɡwa/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /siklo del aɡwa/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
| ciclo hidrológico | /θiklo idɾoloxiko/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /siklo idɾoloxiko/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
The term refers to the natural cycle of water through evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ciclo del agua literally translates to cycle of the water.
Which one should you use?
ciclo hidrológico is a more formal, scientific term used in academic or technical contexts compared to the common ciclo del agua.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, you pluralize the head noun ciclo to ciclos, while the rest of the phrase remains unchanged, resulting in los ciclos del agua.
How do you pronounce it?
/θiklo del aɡwa/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word agua is grammatically feminine, yet we say el agua instead of la agua to avoid a clashing 'a' sound.
- The term ciclo is a linguistic cousin to the Sanskrit word 'chakra', which also refers to a wheel or a circular movement.
- The word del in ciclo del agua is a mandatory contraction of de and el that cannot be separated in written Spanish.
Examples in context
- El ciclo del agua es un proceso fundamental para el mantenimiento de la vida en nuestro planetaThe water cycle is a fundamental process for the maintenance of life on our planet
- ¿Qué es el ciclo hidrológico?What is the water cycle?
- El ciclo hidrológico es el proceso en el que el agua se mueve continuamente a través de los océanos, los ríos, la atmósfera y la TierraThe water cycle is the process in which water continuously moves through the oceans, rivers, atmosphere, and Earth
- El ciclo del agua es fundamental para la vida.The water cycle is fundamental for life.
- Estamos estudiando el ciclo del agua en clase.We are studying the water cycle in class.
- El ciclo del agua comienza con la evaporación.The water cycle begins with evaporation.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a science project in a library.
- Elena¿Entiendes bien el ciclo del agua, Daniel?Do you understand the water cycle well, Daniel?
- DanielSí, Elena, pero es un tema complejo.Yes, Elena, but it is a complex topic.
- ElenaEs cierto, requiere mucha memoria.That's true, it requires a lot of memorization.
- DanielVoy a repasar mis notas ahora.I am going to review my notes now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water cycle” translations and entries ciclo del agua, ciclo hidrológico, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, ciclo, del, hidrológico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
