margen
/MAHR-hen/
margin
The blank area around the text on a page is the margen (margin).
📝 In Action
Por favor, no escribas en el margen del examen.
A2Please, do not write in the margin of the exam.
Caminamos por el margen del río hasta encontrar un puente.
B1We walked along the bank of the river until we found a bridge.
El coche se detuvo en el margen de la carretera.
B1The car stopped on the side (verge) of the road.
💡 Grammar Points
Gender Note
Even though 'margen' ends in '-en', it is a masculine noun ('el margen'). However, in older usage or specifically referring to a riverbank, you might occasionally hear 'la margen'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the wrong gender
Mistake: "La margen es muy estrecha."
Correction: El margen es muy estrecho. (Always use the masculine article 'el' for the paper margin or general edge.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Using 'al margen de'
The phrase 'al margen de' means 'apart from' or 'regardless of,' and is a common way to introduce a separate point: 'Al margen de la lluvia, el evento fue un éxito' (Apart from the rain, the event was a success).
When you have extra space or tolerance, you have margen (room).
📝 In Action
No tenemos margen de tiempo para terminar el proyecto.
B2We don't have enough time (room of time) to finish the project.
El margen de error permitido es muy bajo.
B2The allowed margin of error is very low.
Dejaron un pequeño margen para negociar el precio final.
C1They left a small room (leeway) to negotiate the final price.
💡 Grammar Points
Using Prepositions
When talking about 'room for' something, Spanish usually uses the preposition 'de': 'margen de tiempo' (room of time) or 'margen de error' (room of error).
⭐ Usage Tips
Expressing 'No Room'
The common expression 'no hay margen' (there is no room/leeway) is useful for describing tight deadlines or inflexible situations.
The difference between the cost and the selling price is the profit margen (margin).
margen(noun)
margin
?difference between cost and price
,profit margin
?business/finance
spread
?financial difference
📝 In Action
La compañía debe aumentar su margen de beneficio para ser sostenible.
C1The company must increase its profit margin to be sustainable.
El margen bruto de la venta fue del 15%.
C2The gross margin on the sale was 15%.
⭐ Usage Tips
Context is Key
When you hear 'margen' in a business discussion, it almost always refers to the financial difference between what something costs and what it sells for.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: margen
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'margen' in the sense of 'room for flexibility'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'margen' masculine or feminine?
It is officially a masculine noun: 'el margen.' Although 'la margen' is sometimes used, especially for riverbanks, stick to 'el margen' for general use (page, edge, profit, room for error) to sound most natural and correct.