continente
/kon-tee-NEN-teh/
continent
In this context, 'continente' refers to a large landmass, like a continent.
📝 In Action
Europa es un continente con mucha historia.
A2Europe is a continent with a lot of history.
¿Cuántos continentes hay en el mundo?
A2How many continents are there in the world?
💡 Grammar Points
Gender of Geography
Most words ending in '-ente' that refer to things are masculine. Always use 'el' with 'continente'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Continent vs. Country
Mistake: "Confusing a large country with a continent."
Correction: Remember that 'continente' refers to the whole geographic region (like Africa or Asia), not just a single nation.
⭐ Usage Tips
Capitalization
Unlike the specific names of continents (like 'América'), the word 'continente' itself is usually not capitalized unless it starts a sentence.
Here, 'continente' means a container used to hold or store objects.
continente(noun)
container
?something that holds something else
,structure
?the shell or physical building in insurance
exterior
?the outer part of an object
📝 In Action
El seguro de hogar cubre el continente y el contenido.
B2The home insurance covers the structure (building) and the contents.
El continente de la botella es de vidrio reciclado.
C1The container of the bottle is made of recycled glass.
💡 Grammar Points
Technical Usage
In insurance, 'continente' is the 'box' (the house itself) and 'contenido' is what's inside the box.
⭐ Usage Tips
Formal Situations
Use 'envase' for a yogurt cup or food container; use 'continente' when you want to sound very formal or technical about the thing holding something else.
In this sense, 'continente' describes a person's bearing or how they carry themselves.
📝 In Action
El caballero tenía un continente noble y pausado.
C2The gentleman had a noble and calm bearing.
⭐ Usage Tips
Literary Context
You will likely only see this in old books or poetry to describe a character's elegance or posture.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: continente
Question 1 of 2
If an insurance agent asks about the 'continente' of your home, what are they referring to?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'continente' always mean a landmass like Africa?
Most of the time, yes. However, in technical or very formal Spanish, it can also mean a 'container' or the way a person carries themselves (their bearing).
Is 'continente' masculine or feminine?
It is always masculine: 'el continente'.