Spanish Conversation · Level 16
90 words
Spanish word
sombra
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈsombɾa/
Meaning
- feminine nounshadow
Example
La sombra del árbol me protegía del sol.
The shadow of the tree protected me from the sun.
More examples
Buscamos la sombra para comer al aire libre.
We looked for the shade to eat outdoors.
Core concept
Obscuring darkness that hides or attenuates something from view.
Common phrases
a la sombra
to the shade
en la sombra
in the shade
bajo la sombra
under the shade
Similar words
oscuridad: Deep darkness or dimness in surroundings, where details are hard to see.
umbría: Specific spot kept in shade by trees or structures, protected from direct sun.
Definition in Spanish
Oscuridad formada por la interposición de un objeto entre la luz y una superficie; por extensión, el refugio del sol o, en sentido figurado, algo que oculta o atenúa.
Word origin
Derived from Latin umbra, entering Spanish as ombra and later sombra, giving rise to related forms like sombrío for 'gloomy' and penumbra for partial shadow.
Usage tips
- Spanish does not always distinguish 'shadow' and 'shade' the way English does, so sombra can translate to either and context determines the best English choice.
Other meanings
- shadenoun
Opposites
- luzlightnoun
- resplandorradiancenoun
Related words
- sombrillaparasolnoun
- sombríogloomyadjective