evidente
Lemma Details
Translation: evident; obvious; clear; apparent; manifest
Part of Speech: adjective
Etymology: From Latin 'evidens, evidentis', composed of 'e' (out) + 'videns' (seeing, present participle of 'videre' meaning 'to see'). The word literally means 'seeing clearly' or 'visible from outside'. It shares the same Latin root as English 'evident', 'video', 'vision', and 'visible', all related to the concept of seeing or perceiving.
Commonality: 80%
Guessability: 90%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Es evidente que no quiere hablar del tema.
It's evident that he doesn't want to talk about the subject.
Las ventajas de este método son evidentes.
The advantages of this method are obvious.
Su nerviosismo era evidente durante la entrevista.
His nervousness was apparent during the interview.
Por razones evidentes, decidimos cancelar el evento.
For obvious reasons, we decided to cancel the event.
Mnemonics
- Think of 'evidence' in English - both words refer to something that is clearly visible or apparent.
- Break it down as 'e-vidente' - like someone who is 'seeing' (vidente) something 'out' (e-) or clearly.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Cultural Context
Widely used in both formal and informal contexts in Spanish-speaking countries. It's common in academic, legal, and everyday speech when referring to something that is clearly visible or understood.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Evidente' means 'obvious' or 'clear', while 'eventual' in Spanish means 'possible' or 'potential', not 'eventual' as in English (which would be 'final' or 'ultimate' in Spanish).
Confused word:
Las consecuencias eventuales de esta decisión son preocupantes.
The possible consequences of this decision are concerning.
Notes: This is a classic false friend between Spanish and English.
Mnemonic: 'Evidente' shares sounds with 'evidence' - both about something clear and proven; 'eventual' in Spanish is about what might happen, not what will definitely happen.
Explanation: 'Evidente' in Spanish means 'obvious' or 'clear', while 'evident' in English has the same meaning but slightly different spelling.
Confused word:
It is evident that we need to change our strategy.
Es evidente que necesitamos cambiar nuestra estrategia.
Notes: This is a true cognate with only a slight spelling difference.
Mnemonic: The Spanish word ends with an 'e', while the English drops it - but both mean the same thing.