Inklingo

corta

KOR-tahˈkoɾta

corta means short in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

shortAlso: brief

A very short, stubby yellow pencil lying horizontally, emphasizing its short length.

📝 In Action

Necesito una cuerda más corta para atar esto.

A1

I need a shorter rope to tie this.

La reunión fue muy corta, solo duró diez minutos.

A2

The meeting was very short; it only lasted ten minutes.

Ella lleva una falda corta.

A1

She is wearing a short skirt.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • breve (brief)
  • reducida (reduced)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • vida cortashort life
  • distancia cortashort distance

cuts, is cutting, Cut!Also: interrupts

VerbA1regular ar
A close-up view of a hand holding a pair of silver scissors actively cutting a piece of blue paper.
infinitivecortar
gerundcortando
past Participlecortado

📝 In Action

Mi hermana siempre corta el césped los sábados.

A1

My sister always cuts the grass on Saturdays.

¡Corta el pan en rebanadas finas, por favor!

A1

Cut the bread into thin slices, please!

Cuando habla, siempre corta la conversación de los demás.

B1

When she speaks, she always interrupts other people's conversation.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • secciona (sections)
  • interrumpe (interrupts)

Antonyms

  • une (joins)
  • alarga (lengthens)

Common Collocations

  • corta la electricidadcuts the power
  • corta el quesocuts the cheese

Idioms & Expressions

  • Corta por lo sanoTo cut losses/make a clean break/start fresh.

Indicative

Present

yocorto
cortas
él/ella/ustedcorta
nosotroscortamos
vosotroscortáis
ellos/ellas/ustedescortan

Imperfect

yocortaba
cortabas
él/ella/ustedcortaba
nosotroscortábamos
vosotroscortabais
ellos/ellas/ustedescortaban

Preterite

yocorté
cortaste
él/ella/ustedcortó
nosotroscortamos
vosotroscortasteis
ellos/ellas/ustedescortaron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yocorte
cortes
él/ella/ustedcorte
nosotroscortemos
vosotroscortéis
ellos/ellas/ustedescorten

Imperfect Subjunctive

yocortara/cortase
cortaras/cortases
él/ella/ustedcortara/cortase
nosotroscortáramos/cortásemos
vosotroscortarais/cortaseis
ellos/ellas/ustedescortaran/cortasen

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "corta" in Spanish:

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: corta

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'corta' as an adjective?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
🎵 Rhymes
📚 Etymology

The word comes from the Late Latin verb *curtare*, which meant 'to shorten' or 'to cut short.' This root is also where we get the English word 'short.'

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: cortaPortuguese: curta

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'corta' and 'corto'?

'Corta' is the feminine form, used when describing feminine things (like 'la falda corta'). 'Corto' is the masculine form, used for masculine things (like 'el pelo corto').

Can 'corta' mean 'short' in terms of height for a person?

Yes, but it is much more common to use 'baja' (low/short) to describe a person's height. You would usually say 'Ella es baja,' not 'Ella es corta.'