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útil

OO-teel/ˈu.til/

“útil” means “useful” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

useful

Also: helpful, serviceable
A bright red watering can pouring water onto a small green potted plant, illustrating usefulness and helpfulness.

📝 In Action

Este diccionario es muy útil para los estudiantes de español.

A1

This dictionary is very useful for Spanish students.

Tu consejo fue muy útil, pude resolver el problema.

A2

Your advice was very helpful; I was able to solve the problem.

La habilidad de programar es una cualidad muy útil hoy en día.

B1

The ability to program is a very useful skill nowadays.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • provechoso (profitable)
  • beneficioso (beneficial)

Antonyms

  • inútil (useless)

Common Collocations

  • ser útil – to be useful
  • herramienta útil – useful tool

tool

Also: implement
NounmB1
A simple wooden-handled claw hammer resting on a workbench, representing a tool.

📝 In Action

El carpintero siempre lleva su útil principal consigo.

B1

The carpenter always carries his main tool with him.

Necesito comprar útiles escolares para mis hijos.

B1

I need to buy school supplies for my children. (Note: Plural form 'útiles' is very common here)

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • útiles de escritorio – office supplies

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "útil" in Spanish:

serviceable→useful→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: útil

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'útil' as an adjective?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
utilidad(usefulness, utility) — Noun
utilizar(to use, to utilize) — Verb
inútil(useless) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
fácildifícil
📚 Etymology▼

Comes directly from the Latin word *ūtilis*, which meant 'useful' or 'profitable.' It has remained virtually unchanged in Spanish.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: utilePortuguese: útil

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make 'útil' plural?

To make 'útil' plural, you add '-es', resulting in 'útiles'. This applies both when it's describing multiple things (adjective: 'las ideas útiles') and when it's used as a noun ('los útiles escolares').