Today’s Spanish word of the day is “hospital”.
It won’t surprise you to learn that it means “hospital”!
However, bear in mind that the Spanish pronunciation of the word is quite different to English. The h is silent in Spanish, and the final –tal syllable is stressed rather than the initial hos-.
The word “hospital” (in both Spanish and English) ultimately comes from Latin hospes, meaning “guest”. This is also the root of several other English words including “hospitality”, “hospitable” and “hospice”.
The Spanish noun “hospital” is masculine. In fact, the vast majority of Spanish nouns that end in l are masculine, which is a useful trick to remember. Here are just a few examples:
- El papel – Paper
- El animal – Animal
- El nivel – Level
- El pastel – Cake
- El árbol – Tree
- El perfil – Profile
- El caracol – Snail
However, there are a few exceptions, such as “la señal” (“signal”) and “la miel” (“honey”).
Example sentences
Cada vez que voy al hospital, me pongo nervioso.
Every time I go to the hospital, I get nervous.
Visité el hospital para hacerme un chequeo.
I went to the hospital for a check-up.
En las montañas de Perú, muchas familias viven lejos de un hospital.
In the mountains of Peru, many families live far from a hospital.
El hospital queda a tres cuadras de mi casa.
The hospital is three blocks from my house.
El hospital tiene un jardín precioso en la azotea.
The hospital has a beautiful garden on the rooftop.
