Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| agua | /ˈaɡwa/ /ˈawa/ (dialectal) |
feminine |
| linfa | /ˈlinfa/ | feminine |
| wata | Costa Rica, feminine |
The primary term for the inorganic compound H₂O is agua. Related verbal phrases include hacer agua, a colloquialism meaning to urinate and aguar or diluir, which mean to dilute something.
Which one should you use?
In Costa Rica, the form wata is used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word wata is a feminine form used in Costa Rica.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Although agua is a feminine noun, it uses the masculine article el in the singular form (e.g., el agua) to avoid a hiatus between the stressed 'a' and the article. However, when using the plural form aguas, the feminine article las is used because the phonetic conflict only occurs in the singular.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaɡwa/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying la agua. Even though the noun is feminine, you must use el agua in the singular to follow correct phonetic rules.
Did you know?
- The Spanish term linfa for water originates from the Latin 'lympha', which comes from the Ancient Greek word for 'nymph'.
- The Spanish word linfa sounds like it might refer to a mythical creature, but it is a poetic way to describe clear water or the 'lymph' of nature.
Examples in context
- El agua es vida.Water is life.This sentence illustrates a general truth about water using agua.Tatoeba #5978146 by cueyayotl, translation #3861611 by Hybrid
- El agua era azul.The water was blue.This sentence describes the color of water in the past using agua.Tatoeba #2532759 by Shishir, translation #2515235 by Hybrid
- No bebas el agua.Don't drink the water.This sentence provides a command regarding drinking water using agua.Tatoeba #3215869 by marcelostockle, translation #1845515 by CK
- Por favor, tráigame un vaso de aguaPlease bring me a glass of water
- El compuesto químico H2O es conocido como aguaThe chemical compound H2O is known as water
- ¿Me pasas un poquito de agüita, por favor?Could you pass me a little water, please?
- ¡Qué sed! Necesito tomar un poco de aguitaI'm so thirsty! I need to have a little water
- En verano, disfruto mucho bebiendo aguita de cocoIn summer, I really enjoy drinking coconut water
- En el desierto, el agua es un recurso escasoIn the desert, water is a scarce resource
- El agua es esencial para la vida en nuestro planetaWater is essential for life on our planet
- Siempre llevo una botella de agua conmigo cuando salgo de casaI always carry a bottle of water with me when I leave home
- 1097 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are hiking and feeling thirsty.
- Alejandro¿Tienes agua en tu mochila, Lucía?Do you have water in your backpack, Lucía?
- LucíaSí, me queda un poco de agua.Yes, I have a little bit of water left.
- AlejandroGracias, necesito beber un poco de agua.Thanks, I need to drink some water.
- LucíaToma, bebe toda el agua si quieres.Here, drink all the water if you want.
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.
