foto
“foto” means “photo” in Spanish (short for 'photograph').
photo, picture
Also: snapshot
📝 In Action
¡Sonríe para la foto!
A1Smile for the picture!
¿Me puedes sacar una foto con la estatua?
A2Can you take a photo of me with the statue?
He subido una nueva foto de perfil a mis redes sociales.
B1I've uploaded a new profile picture to my social media.
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: foto
Question 1 of 1
Which of these sentences is correct?
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👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
'Foto' is a shorter, more casual version of the word 'fotografía'. 'Fotografía' was created from two ancient Greek words: 'phos' (meaning 'light') and 'graphis' (meaning 'drawing' or 'writing'). So, a photograph is literally a 'drawing with light'!
First recorded: The short form 'foto' became popular in the early 20th century.
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'foto' feminine if it ends in '-o'?
That's a fantastic question! It's an exception to the general rule because 'foto' is a shortened version of the full word 'fotografía', which is a feminine word. It keeps the gender of the original word. You'll see this with a few other words, like 'la moto' (from 'la motocicleta').
What's the difference between 'sacar una foto' and 'hacer una foto'?
Both mean 'to take a photo' and are used interchangeably in most places. 'Sacar una foto' is perhaps slightly more common overall, but you can use either one and people will understand you perfectly.