ambición
/ahm-bee-SYOHN/
ambition
Ambición, meaning 'ambition,' is the strong desire to achieve success, like climbing a difficult peak.
ambición(noun)
ambition
?strong desire for success
,aspiration
?a high goal
drive
?internal motivation
📝 In Action
Su ambición es convertirse en el director de la empresa.
B1His ambition is to become the company director.
La joven mostró una gran ambición por aprender idiomas.
B2The young woman showed great ambition (or drive) to learn languages.
💡 Grammar Points
Gender Rule
Most Spanish nouns that end in '-ción' are feminine, so you must use 'la' before 'ambición'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'Ambición' as an Adjective
Mistake: "Él es mucha ambición."
Correction: Él es muy ambicioso. (Use the adjective form 'ambicioso' when describing a person.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Positive Context
When talking about career success or personal goals, 'ambición' is usually seen as a positive trait in Spanish culture, meaning motivation and effort.
Ambición can also mean 'greed,' representing an excessive, insatiable desire for wealth or power.
📝 In Action
La ambición desmedida del político lo llevó a robar fondos públicos.
C1The politician's excessive greed (or ambition) led him to steal public funds.
Dicen que el dinero es la raíz de toda ambición.
C1They say that money is the root of all greed.
⭐ Usage Tips
Negative Context
Use adjectives like 'desmedida' (excessive) or 'ciega' (blind) alongside 'ambición' to clearly signal that you are referring to the negative quality of greed.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: ambición
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'ambición' in its negative sense (greed)?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'ambición' usually a positive or negative word?
It depends entirely on the context! In modern Spanish, it is often neutral or positive when referring to motivation and goals. However, if you add words like 'desmedida' (excessive) or are talking about power and money, it takes on the negative meaning of 'greed'.