Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| ancho | /ˈant͡ʃo/ |
| amplio | /ˈampljo/ |
Both terms describe something having a large physical extent from side to side, but they are used in different contexts depending on whether you mean a specific measurement or a sense of openness.
Which one should you use?
Use ancho when referring to a specific physical measurement of width, such as the width of a road or a person's shoulders. Use amplio when "wide" implies a sense of spaciousness, openness or ample room, such as a wide plaza or a wide range of options.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. For ancho, use ancha for feminine nouns, anchos for masculine plural and anchas for feminine plural. Similarly, amplio must change to amplia when modifying a feminine noun. If you want to specify a measurement, you can use the construction de ancho, such as La mesa es de un metro de ancho (The table is one meter wide).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈantʃo/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, saying estoy ancho can be a colloquial way to express that someone is feeling smug, conceited or overly confident.
- The words ancho and amplio are doublets, meaning they both evolved from the same Latin root amplus.
- In Spanish, ancho can be used as a noun to describe the 'width' of an object, such as when asking for the ancho of a doorway.
Examples in context
- El río es amplio.The river is wide.This sentence uses amplio to describe the width of a river.Tatoeba #1353056 by marcelostockle, translation #45748 by CK
- Tiene unos hombros anchos.He has wide shoulders.This sentence uses ancho to describe shoulders.Tatoeba #2508050 by wallebot, translation #2508033 by Hybrid
- ¿Qué tan ancho es este río?How wide is this river?This sentence uses ancho to ask about the width of a river.Tatoeba #1448256 by marcelostockle, translation #58144 by CK
- La avenida es muy ancha y espaciosa.The avenue is very wide and spacious.
- Tenemos un salón amplio para el evento.We have a wide hall for the event.
- La empresa posee un vasto conocimiento en el área de la tecnología.The company has wide-ranging knowledge in the field of technology.
- Esa televisión tiene una pantalla muy ancha.That TV has a very wide screen.
- El río Paraná es muy ancho en esta zona.The Paraná River is very wide in this area.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are looking at a new sofa in a furniture store.
- MateoSofía, ¿crees que este sofá es muy ancho?Sofía, do you think this sofa is very wide?
- SofíaSí, es lo suficientemente ancho para los dos.Yes, it is wide enough for both of us.
- MateoPerfecto, me gusta que sea tan ancho.Perfect, I like that it is so wide.
- SofíaEntonces, vamos a comprarlo.Then, let's buy it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wide” translations and entries ancho, amplio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amplio, ancho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
