casual
“casual” means “accidental” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
accidental
Also: chance, incidental
📝 In Action
Fue un encuentro casual en la biblioteca.
A2It was a chance meeting at the library.
No tengo un plan, es solo una observación casual.
B1I don't have a plan, it's just a casual observation.
El éxito no fue casual, trabajaron mucho.
B2The success wasn't accidental; they worked hard.
casual
Also: informal
📝 In Action
Me gusta vestir ropa casual los fines de semana.
A1I like to wear casual clothes on the weekends.
Es una fiesta casual, no necesitas corbata.
A2It's a casual party; you don't need a tie.
El restaurante tiene un ambiente muy casual.
B1The restaurant has a very casual atmosphere.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: casual
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence means 'It was a chance meeting'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'casualis', which comes from 'casus', meaning 'an event' or 'a fall'. It originally described things that 'fell' into place by themselves.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'casual' a 'false friend' (a word that looks like English but means something else)?
Not really! It shares the same meanings as the English word, though in Spanish, the 'by chance' meaning is slightly more common in formal writing than in English.
Can I use 'casual' to describe a relaxed person?
It is better to use 'relajado' or 'desenfadado' for a person's personality. 'Casual' is usually for events, style, or coincidences.
What is the difference between 'casual' and 'casualidad'?
'Casual' is a description (The meeting was casual), while 'casualidad' is the thing itself (What a coincidence!).