agua
/ˈaɡwa/feminine
The English word water is agua in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists linfa and wata.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| agua | /ˈaɡwa/ /ˈawa/ (dialectal) |
feminine |
| linfa | /ˈlinfa/ | feminine |
| wata | Costa Rica, feminine |
The primary way to refer to the inorganic compound H₂O is agua. Related verbs include aguar and diluir, which mean to dilute and the colloquial phrase hacer agua, which means to urinate.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Costa Rica, you may hear the form wata.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the plural form aguas, the feminine article las is used because the phonetic clash only occurs in the singular form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaɡwa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the feminine article la with agua because the noun is feminine, but el agua is the correct form for the singular.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, saying ¡aguas! is a common way to warn someone that they are about to bump into something or that a car is coming.
- The Spanish word linfa is a linguistic relative of the Greek word for 'nymph', specifically referring to the clear water or personification of water.
- The Spanish word aguar means 'to dilute', but it can also be used idiomically to mean 'to spoil' or 'to dampen' something, like a mood or a plan.
Examples in context
- El agua es vida.Water is life.This sentence shows how to say water is life using agua.Tatoeba #5978146 by cueyayotl, translation #3861611 by Hybrid
- El agua era azul.The water was blue.This sentence describes the color of the water using agua.Tatoeba #2532759 by Shishir, translation #2515235 by Hybrid
- No bebas el agua.Don't drink the water.This sentence is a command not to drink the water using agua.Tatoeba #3215869 by marcelostockle, translation #1845515 by CK
- Por favor, ¿me podría traer agua?Could you please bring me some water?
- Agua, por favorWater, please
- Sí, ¿tienes agua?Yes, do you have water?
- 1097 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are at a restaurant.
- JavierSofía, ¿quieres agua?Sofía, do you want water?
- SofíaSí, Javier, por favor.Yes, Javier, please.
- JavierTraeré un vaso de agua.I will bring a glass of water.
- SofíaGracias, tengo mucha sed.Thanks, I am very thirsty.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries agua, linfa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, linfa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
