grave
“grave” means “serious” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
serious, severe, critical
Also: solemn
📝 In Action
Su estado de salud es grave, necesita un médico inmediatamente.
B1His health condition is serious; he needs a doctor immediately.
Cometer un error tan grave en el informe afectará tu ascenso.
B2Making such a serious mistake in the report will affect your promotion.
El presidente dio un discurso con tono grave sobre la crisis económica.
C1The president gave a speech in a solemn tone about the economic crisis.
low-pitched, deep
Also: bass
📝 In Action
El cantante tiene una voz muy grave y potente.
B2The singer has a very deep and powerful voice.
Necesitas ajustar los tonos graves de los altavoces.
C1You need to adjust the low-pitched (bass) tones on the speakers.
having stress on the penultimate syllable
Also: paroxytone
📝 In Action
Las palabras graves que terminan en vocal no llevan tilde.
C2Words stressed on the second-to-last syllable that end in a vowel do not take a written accent mark.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "grave" in Spanish:
bass→critical→deep→important→low-pitched→paroxytone→serious→severe→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: grave
Question 1 of 2
¿En qué contexto usamos 'grave' con el significado de 'low-pitched'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes directly from the Latin word *gravis*, which meant 'heavy,' 'weighty,' or 'serious.' This origin explains both the modern sense of 'serious' (having weight/importance) and the musical/linguistic sense of 'low' or 'heavy' sound.
First recorded: 13th century (in Romance languages)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'grave' only used for negative situations?
While it is most often used for negative or dangerous situations (a grave mistake, a serious illness), it can sometimes describe a solemn or serious manner (a grave expression), which is more neutral.
Why is the word 'grave' the same for masculine and feminine nouns?
Adjectives in Spanish that end in '-e' often keep the same form regardless of whether the noun they describe is masculine or feminine. You only change the ending when making it plural (graves).