Spanish Conversation · Level 101
60 words
Spanish word
bilingüe
Pronunciation
IPA/biˈliŋgwe/
Meaning
- adjectivebilingual
Example
Ella es bilingüe.
She is bilingual.
More examples
La escuela bilingüe ofrece clases en dos idiomas.
The bilingual school offers classes in two languages.
Core concept
Single speaker with two different-language speech bubbles.
Common phrases
programa bilingüe
bilingual program
educación bilingüe
bilingual education
escuela bilingüe
bilingual school
Similar words
multilingüe: Speaks two or more languages and communicates easily.
políglota: Can speak many languages.
plurilingüe: Uses several languages across daily contexts, switching as needed.
trilingüe: Uses three languages daily and converses comfortably in all three.
Definition in Spanish
Indica que una persona habla y entiende dos lenguas con soltura.
Word origin
From Latin bilinguis (bis 'two' + lingua 'tongue'), literally 'two-tongued', adopted into Spanish as bilingüe.
Usage tips
- The adjective is identical for masculine and feminine and becomes bilingües in the plural, so explicitly naming the two languages avoids ambiguity.
Other meanings
- bilingual speakernoun
Opposites
- monolingüemonolingualadjective
- unilingüeunilingualadjective
Related words
- bilingüismobilingualismnoun
- bilingüistabilingual specialistnoun