cada
Lemma Details
Translation: each; every
Part of Speech: adjective
Etymology: Cada comes from Latin 'cata', which was borrowed from Greek 'kata' meaning 'according to, by'. This Greek preposition was used in Vulgar Latin to express distribution (one by one). The English words 'catalog' and 'category' share the same Greek root 'kata'. Understanding this connection helps remember that 'cada' is about organizing or distributing things individually.
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 30%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'cada' as 'cat-a' - like a cat taking one thing at a time.
- The 'ca' in 'cada' sounds like 'count' - you count things one by one.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Antonyms
Cultural Context
Cada is a fundamental word in Spanish used in everyday speech. It's invariable, meaning it doesn't change form regardless of gender or number of the noun it modifies.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'cada' refers to each individual item in a group ('each', 'every'), 'todo' refers to the entirety or all items collectively ('all').
Notes: 'Cada' is always singular and is followed by a singular noun, while 'todo' can be plural ('todos') and is often followed by a plural noun.
Mnemonic: Cada is about individuals (C for 'count one by one'), while todo is about totality (T for 'total').
Explanation: 'Cada' means 'each' or 'every' and refers to all members of a group individually, while 'cualquier' means 'any' and refers to an arbitrary member of a group.
Notes: Both 'cada' and 'cualquier' are followed by singular nouns, but they have different implications about specificity.
Mnemonic: Cada is definite (like 'certainly each one'), while cualquier is indefinite (like 'question which one').