Spanish Conversation · Level 80
60 words
Spanish word
cumbia
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈkumbja/
Meaning
- feminine nouncumbia music
Example
La cumbia tiene un ritmo muy pegajoso.
Cumbia music has a very catchy rhythm.
More examples
La orquesta tocó una cumbia que animó a todos.
The orchestra played a cumbia that got everyone excited.
Core concept
Danceable rhythmic pulse from Colombia's Caribbean coast driven by percussion and wind instruments.
Common phrases
bailar la cumbia
dance the cumbia
la cumbia colombiana
Colombian cumbia
ritmo de cumbia
cumbia rhythm
Similar words
música: Sound organized into songs or pieces performed by voices and instruments.
baile: Physical expression of music through timed bodily movements.
ritmo: Sequence of rhythmic pulses that repeats to create a beat.
salsa: Urban Latin dance genre for partners, built on driving syncopation and horn lines.
Definition in Spanish
Estilo musical de la costa caribeña colombiana que destaca por un pulso rítmico bailable y arreglos con instrumentos de viento, percusión y, en algunas variantes, acordeón.
Word origin
Likely from an Afro-Colombian borrowing related to West African cumbé, the name came to denote the dance-centered music formed on Colombia's Caribbean coast.
Usage tips
- La cumbia commonly refers to the genre or a recorded track, 'bailar cumbia' means to dance to it and 'poner una cumbia' means to play a song.
Other meanings
- cumbia dancenoun
Related words
- cumbierocumbia musiciannoun