documental
/doh-koo-men-TAHL/
documentary
A camera filming a nature documentary about wild animals.
📝 In Action
Vi un documental muy interesante sobre la historia de México.
A2I saw a very interesting documentary about the history of Mexico.
Prefiero ver documentales que películas de ficción.
B1I prefer watching documentaries over fiction movies.
💡 Grammar Points
Using the word as a person thing
When you use this word to mean a movie, it is always masculine (el documental). To make it plural, just add -es (los documentales).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Documentary vs. Document
Mistake: "Using 'un documental' when you mean 'a paper document'."
Correction: Use 'documental' for the film, but use 'documento' for the piece of paper.
⭐ Usage Tips
Short and Sweet
Just like in English we say 'doc', some Spanish speakers might shorten it in very casual conversation, but 'documental' is the standard way to say it.
A collection of items representing a documentary or evidence-based record.
documental(adjective)
documentary
?consisting of or based on documents
factual
?based on verified records
📝 In Action
El abogado presentó una prueba documental.
B2The lawyer presented documentary evidence.
Hicimos una investigación documental antes de escribir el libro.
C1We did some documentary research before writing the book.
💡 Grammar Points
One size fits all
This adjective ends in -l, which means it doesn't change for boys or girls! You use 'documental' for both masculine and feminine things.
⭐ Usage Tips
Legal Language
If you hear this in a courtroom or a business meeting, it almost always refers to paper trails or physical records.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: documental
Question 1 of 1
Which of these is 'un documental'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'documental' change to 'documentala' for feminine things?
No! Adjectives ending in -l are 'neutral' in Spanish, so 'la prueba documental' and 'el registro documental' both use the same ending.
Is 'documental' the same as a 'document'?
Not quite. A 'document' (the paper) is 'el documento'. 'Documental' is either the movie or the word used to describe things related to documents.