día
“día” means “day” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
day
📝 In Action
La semana tiene siete días.
A1The week has seven days.
¿Qué día es hoy?
A1What day is it today?
Trabajo cinco días a la semana.
A2I work five days a week.
daytime
Also: day
📝 In Action
Prefiero trabajar de día y dormir de noche.
A2I prefer to work during the day and sleep at night.
Es de día, ¡vamos a jugar afuera!
B1It's daytime, let's go play outside!
day
📝 In Action
El día de mi cumpleaños es en julio.
A2My birthday is in July.
Tenemos que fijar un día para la reunión.
B1We have to set a day for the meeting.
Hoy es un gran día para nuestro equipo.
B1Today is a great day for our team.
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: día
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'día' to mean 'daytime' (the opposite of night)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'diēs', which also meant 'day'. It's a very old word that has been part of the language for thousands of years.
First recorded: c. 950
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'día' masculine if it ends in '-a'?
It's a great question! 'Día' is an exception to the general rule. It comes from the Latin word 'diēs', which was a masculine noun. Spanish kept the gender from its parent language. There are a few other common words like this, such as 'el mapa' (the map) and 'el problema' (the problem).
What's the difference between 'día' and 'jornada'?
'Día' is the general word for a day. 'Jornada' is more specific and usually refers to a period of time dedicated to an activity, like a workday ('jornada laboral') or a day of a conference ('la primera jornada del congreso').