Today’s Spanish word of the day is “programa”.
It’s a masculine noun meaning “program”. Like the English word “program”, it can be used to refer to a lot of different things including TV shows, computer programs and things like educational syllabuses and theatre or concert programs.
It might seem surprising that a word that ends in the letter “a” is a masculine rather than feminine noun, since most Spanish nouns ending in “a” are feminine. The Spanish word “programa” comes from Greek prógramma, and like many Spanish words of Greek origin ending in -ma or -ta, it is masculine. This is because these words were either masculine or neuter rather than feminine in Greek. Here are a few other examples:
- El poema – The poem
- El poeta – The poet
- El sistema – The system
- El problema – The problem
- El idioma – The language
Example sentences
¿Qué programa de televisión estás viendo?
What TV program are you watching?
El programa de estudio incluye varias materias.
The study program includes several subjects.
Necesito instalar un nuevo programa en mi computadora.
I need to install a new program on my computer.
El programa de radio favorito de mi abuelo es el de noticias de la mañana.
My grandfather’s favorite radio program is the morning news.
El nuevo programa de reciclaje ha reducido la basura en la ciudad.
The new recycling program has reduced waste in the city.
