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huesos

/WÉH-sohs/

bones

A single, isolated, perfectly clean white femur bone illustrated against a bright, solid blue background.

Huesos refers to the physical bones that make up a skeletal structure.

huesos(noun)

mA1

bones

?

skeletal structure

Also:

skeletal remains

?

archaeology

📝 In Action

Los médicos dijeron que sus huesos estaban muy fuertes.

A1

The doctors said her bones were very strong.

El perro siempre intenta enterrar los huesos de pollo en el jardín.

A1

The dog always tries to bury the chicken bones in the garden.

Encontraron huesos antiguos en la excavación arqueológica.

B1

They found ancient bones in the archaeological excavation.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • esqueleto (skeleton)
  • osamenta (skeleton, frame)

Common Collocations

  • dolor de huesos – bone ache
  • romper los huesos – to break bones

💡 Grammar Points

Plural Form

Remember that 'huesos' is the plural form. The singular form, meaning a single bone, is 'hueso'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Gender Confusion

Mistake: "La huesos"

Correction: Los huesos. Even though it starts with 'h', 'huesos' is a masculine plural noun, so it takes 'los'.

⭐ Usage Tips

The H Sound

The 'h' at the beginning of 'huesos' is silent, just like in English words such as 'hour' or 'honest'. Pronounce it as 'WES-os'.

A small person sitting down and shivering violently, wrapped in a thin red blanket. The person's skin is tinged blue to show extreme cold, emphasizing feeling cold deeply.

When used metaphorically, 'huesos' can mean the core of the body, often used when someone feels cold 'to the bone.'

huesos(noun)

mB1

core

?

used to describe feeling cold deeply

,

frame

?

physical constitution

Also:

deeply

?

figurative meaning, often negative

📝 In Action

Hace tanto frío que tengo la sensación de tener frío hasta los huesos.

B1

It's so cold that I feel cold right down to the core (literally, 'down to the bones').

Esa mujer es ambiciosa hasta los huesos; no le importa nadie más.

B2

That woman is ambitious to the core; she doesn't care about anyone else.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • médula (marrow, core)

Idioms & Expressions

  • estar hasta los huesos – to be freezing cold
  • ser de carne y hueso – to be a real person; to be human
  • pelar los huesos – to criticize severely

💡 Grammar Points

The Phrase 'Hasta los huesos'

This phrase is used to emphasize that a feeling (usually cold, but sometimes a quality like ambition or evil) affects you completely or reaches your deepest being.

⭐ Usage Tips

Expressing Deep Cold

When talking about freezing weather, using 'frío hasta los huesos' is a very natural and common way to express extreme cold in Spanish.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: huesos

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'huesos' in its figurative, intensifying sense?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

hueso(bone (singular)) - noun
óseo(bony, osseous) - adjective
deshuesar(to debone) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 'h' silent in 'huesos'?

The 'h' in Spanish is almost always silent. While it was pronounced in older Latin forms, modern Spanish dropped the sound, so you should pronounce 'huesos' as if it started with a 'w' sound: 'WES-os'.

How do I say 'bone' if I mean just one?

You use the singular form, 'hueso'. For example, 'Me rompí un hueso' (I broke a bone).