A pair of human hands, depicted with palms slightly open and facing up.

manos

/mah-nohs/

NounfA1

hands?the parts of the body at the end of your arms

Also:coats?when talking about layers of paint or varnish,workers?used figuratively to mean 'labor' or 'workforce'

📝 In Action

Lávate las manos antes de comer, por favor.

Wash your hands before eating, please.

Le dimos dos manos de pintura a la pared para que quedara perfecta.

We gave the wall two coats of paint so it would look perfect.

Necesitamos más manos en la granja durante la cosecha.

We need more hands (workers) on the farm during the harvest.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

a mano – by hand
dar la mano – to shake hands
lavarse las manos – to wash one's hands
manos a la obra – let's get to work

Idioms & Expressions

echar una mano– to lend a hand / to help
con las manos en la masa – caught in the act / red-handed
tener buenas manos para algo – to be good/skilled at something
llegar con las manos vacías – to arrive empty-handed

💡 Grammar Points

A Tricky Gender: 'la mano', 'las manos'

Even though 'mano' ends in '-o', it's a feminine word. Always use 'la' for one hand and 'las' for two. This is an important exception to remember, like 'la foto' or 'la moto'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using 'los' instead of 'las'

Mistake: "Me lavo *los manos*."

Correction: Me lavo *las manos*. Because 'mano' is feminine, its plural form 'manos' is also feminine. So, you always need to use 'las'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Talking About Your Own Body Parts

In Spanish, you usually don't use words like 'my' (mis) or 'your' (tus) when talking about body parts. Instead, you use 'las'. For example, say 'Me duelen las manos' (My hands hurt), which literally means 'The hands hurt me'.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: manos

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence about washing your hands is correct?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

mano(hand) - noun

manual(manual (by hand); a manual (book)) - adjective/noun

manija(handle, doorknob) - noun

manipular(to manipulate, to handle) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'mano' feminine if it ends in '-o'?

It's a very common and important exception! It comes from its Latin origin, where the word 'manus' was feminine, and Spanish kept the gender. Think of it as a rule-breaker you just have to memorize, along with a few others like 'la foto' and 'la moto'.