el circo
“el circo” — circus in Spanish. Noun, level A1, topic — buildings and premises. Works for a mess too, just like in English: que circo! — what a circus! In a live sentence: “El circo está en las afueras” — The circus is on the outskirts. You can hear how it sounds right here. One of 21 words in the set “buildings and premises” in the Spanish course.
In short
| Written in Spanish | el circo |
| Translation | circus |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
- el circocircus
Why it looks that way
Works for a mess too, just like in English: que circo! — what a circus!
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- El circo está en las afuerasThe circus is on the outskirts
Nearby words: buildings and premises
Where to go and what is done there. These words are read off a sign more often than they are spoken.
- el parqueparkMasculine even ending in -e. El parque de atracciones — an amusement park
- la bibliotecalibraryThe false friend in reverse: la librería is a bookshop, not a library
- el museomuseumMasculine. Many Spanish museums are free at set hours: entrada gratuita
- el teatrotheaterThe building and the art form. Hacer teatro figuratively means to put on an act
- el cinecinemaBoth the movie house and film as art. Ir al cine — to go to the movies
- la iglesiachurchThe building and the church as an institution. A big cathedral is la catedral
- el estadiostadiumMasculine. The same word means a stage of a process, though in that sense etapa is more usual
- la embajadaembassyThe consulate is a separate word: el consulado, masculine
- la comisaríapolice stationLiterally a 'commissariat'. This is where you go to file a theft report
- el ayuntamientocity hallThe building and the city government alike. The mayor is el alcalde
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “buildings and premises”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “circus” in Spanish?
Works for a mess too, just like in English: que circo! — what a circus!
- How do you say “stadium” in Spanish?
Masculine. The same word means a stage of a process, though in that sense etapa is more usual
- How do you say “museum” in Spanish?
Masculine. Many Spanish museums are free at set hours: entrada gratuita
- How do you say “city hall” in Spanish?
The building and the city government alike. The mayor is el alcalde
- How do you say “church” in Spanish?
The building and the church as an institution. A big cathedral is la catedral
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “circus” in Spanish?
«el circo». In a live sentence: “El circo está en las afueras” — The circus is on the outskirts. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “buildings and premises”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Works for a mess too, just like in English: que circo! — what a circus! A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.