suelo
Lemma Details
Translation: floor; ground; soil; land
Part of Speech: noun
Etymology: From Latin 'solum' meaning 'ground, soil, foundation'. This Latin root also gave English words like 'soil' and 'sole' (the bottom part of a shoe). The connection between 'suelo' and 'soil' shows how both languages preserved the concept of earth or ground from their common Latin ancestor.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 50%
Register: neutral
Example Usage
Limpia el suelo de la cocina, por favor.
Clean the kitchen floor, please.
Este tipo de suelo es bueno para cultivar tomates.
This type of soil is good for growing tomatoes.
Se cayó al suelo y se lastimó la rodilla.
He fell to the ground and hurt his knee.
Su reputación está por los suelos después del escándalo.
His reputation is at rock-bottom after the scandal.
Mnemonics
- Think of standing on the 'sole' of your shoe, which touches the 'suelo' (floor).
- Remember that 'suelo' sounds a bit like 'soil' in English, which is one of its meanings.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Cultural Context
In Spanish-speaking countries, 'suelo' is used in both everyday contexts (referring to the floor of a building) and in more technical contexts like agriculture (soil quality) and urban planning (land use).
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'suelo' refers to the ground or floor, 'cielo' means 'sky' or 'ceiling' - they are opposites in spatial orientation.
Confused word:
Hay nubes en el cielo.
There are clouds in the sky.
Notes: These words are often used as opposites in Spanish to indicate the extremes of vertical space.
Mnemonic: Think: 'suelo' is below (like soil), 'cielo' is above (like sky).
Explanation: 'Suelo' (noun) means 'floor/ground', while 'suele' is a conjugated form of the verb 'soler' meaning 'usually does'.
This word:
El suelo está mojado.
The floor is wet.
Confused word:
Él suele llegar tarde.
He usually arrives late.
Notes: The spelling is very similar but the grammatical function and meaning are completely different.
Mnemonic: For 'suelo' (noun), think of something solid you stand on. For 'suele' (verb), think of a usual or habitual action.