interés
“interés” means “interest” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
interest
Also: concern
📝 In Action
¿Tienes interés en aprender a bailar salsa?
A1Do you have any interest in learning to dance salsa?
El profesor despertó mucho interés en la clase sobre historia romana.
A2The professor sparked a lot of interest in the class about Roman history.
Perdí todo interés en ese proyecto.
A2I lost all interest in that project.
interest
Also: interest rate, yield
📝 In Action
El banco ofrece un alto interés para las cuentas de ahorro.
B1The bank offers a high interest rate for savings accounts.
El préstamo tiene un tipo de interés fijo del 5%.
B1The loan has a fixed interest rate of 5%.
Hemos pagado una enorme cantidad de intereses en la hipoteca.
B2We have paid an enormous amount of interest on the mortgage.
self-interest
Also: stake, benefit
📝 In Action
Actuó únicamente por su propio interés, sin pensar en los demás.
B2He acted solely out of self-interest, without thinking of others.
Tenemos un interés común en que la empresa tenga éxito.
B2We have a common stake (or common interest) in the company succeeding.
La ley protege el interés general de la comunidad.
C1The law protects the general interest of the community.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "interés" in Spanish:
interest rate→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: interés
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'interés' in the financial sense?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word *interesse*, which literally meant 'to be between' or 'to make a difference.' This developed into the sense of 'to concern' or 'to matter,' eventually leading to the modern Spanish meanings of curiosity and financial concern.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Since 'interés' ends in -s, why is it masculine ('el interés')?
Nouns that end in consonants in Spanish are typically masculine, and 'interés' follows this rule. Even though it ends in -s, it is treated like any other masculine noun ending in a consonant, such as 'el árbol' or 'el motor'.
When do I use 'interés' versus 'interesante'?
'Interés' is a person, place, or thing (a noun), referring to the feeling itself ('Tengo interés' - I have the feeling). 'Interesante' is a describing word (an adjective), referring to what causes the feeling ('El libro es interesante' - The book is the cause).