Today’s Spanish word of the day is “solo”.
It can be an adjective meaning “alone”, or an adverb meaning “only” or “just”.
When used as an adverb, it’s equivalent to the word “solamente”, which is an adverb that also translates as “only” or “just”.
Like the identical English word, “solo” comes from Latin solus meaning “alone”.
Some related words include “soledad” (“loneliness” or “solitude”) and “soltero” (an adjective meaning “single” as in romantically unattached).
Example sentences
Solo necesito un minuto.
I only need a minute.
Vine solo a la fiesta.
I came to the party alone.
Con solo una sonrisa, iluminaste mi día.
With just a smile, you brightened my day.
Ella solo tiene un hermano.
She only has one brother.
A veces, es mejor estar solo.
Sometimes, it’s better to be alone.
Is it “solo” or “sólo”?
For a long time, the word “solo” was written with an accent (“sólo”) when used as an adverb, and without an accent (“solo”) when used as an adjective. This helped avoid any ambiguity.
However, these days it’s generally preferred to use “solo” without an accent regardless of whether you’re using it as an adjective or an adverb.
In cases where the meaning might be very ambiguous, the Real Academia Española still recommends using an accent. Here’s an example of when it might be useful to add the accent:
- Él estaba solo en el restaurante. – He was alone in the restaurant. (“Solo” is an adjective).
- Él estaba sólo en el retaurante. – He was only in the restaurant. (“Sólo” is an adverb).
