cara

/kah-rah/

NounfA1

face?part of the body

Also:side?of a coin, page, or object,expression?the look on someone's face,front?the forward-facing part of something

📝 In Action

Me lavo la cara todas las mañanas.

I wash my face every morning.

La moneda tiene dos caras: cara y cruz.

The coin has two sides: heads and tails.

Puso mala cara cuando le conté el problema.

He put on a sour face when I told him the problem.

Escribe tu nombre en la cara frontal del sobre.

Write your name on the front side of the envelope.

Word Connections

Synonyms

rostro (face (more formal or poetic))
semblante (countenance, expression)

Common Collocations

lavarse la cara – to wash one's face
dar la cara – to face the music, take responsibility
a cara o cruz – heads or tails

Idioms & Expressions

tener mucha cara – to be shameless, to have a lot of nerve
plantar cara a alguien – to stand up to someone, to confront someone
echar en cara – to throw something in someone's face, to hold something against someone

💡 Grammar Points

'Cara' is a Feminine Word

Even though it doesn't end in '-o', 'cara' is a feminine word. So, you always use 'la' or 'una' with it. For example, 'la cara bonita' (the pretty face).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Describing Your Own Face

Mistake: "Incorrect: 'Tengo cara cansada.'"

Correction: Correct: 'Tengo la cara cansada.' When you're describing the state of your own body part, like your face, you usually need to include 'la' (the).

⭐ Usage Tips

More Than Just a Body Part

Remember 'cara' is also used for the 'side' of any flat object. 'Heads or tails?' is '¿Cara o cruz?' in Spanish, literally 'Face or cross?'.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: cara

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'cara' to mean 'expensive'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

caro(expensive) - adjective

careta(mask) - noun

encarar(to face, to confront) - verb

carestía(shortage, high price) - noun

encarecer(to make more expensive, to raise the price of) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'cara' and 'rostro'?

Both mean 'face', but 'rostro' is a bit more formal or poetic. You'll see it more in literature or formal speech. For everyday conversation, 'cara' is much more common.

Why are 'face' and 'expensive' the same word?

They aren't really the same word, they just happen to look and sound identical! They come from completely different root words in Latin. This is called a 'homonym', and it happens in many languages, just like 'bat' (the animal) and 'bat' (for baseball) in English.