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margen

MAHR-hen/ˈmaɾxen/

margin, bank

Also: verge, border
NounmB1
A sheet of white paper with a central block of neat text lines, highlighting the wide, empty space (the margin) surrounding the text block.

📝 In Action

Por favor, no escribas en el margen del examen.

A2

Please, do not write in the margin of the exam.

Caminamos por el margen del río hasta encontrar un puente.

B1

We walked along the bank of the river until we found a bridge.

El coche se detuvo en el margen de la carretera.

B1

The car stopped on the side (verge) of the road.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • margen de la página – page margin
  • al margen de – on the sidelines of / apart from

room, leeway

Also: scope
NounmB2
A simple cartoon figure jumping a short distance. There is a vast amount of empty, safe ground surrounding the figure, symbolizing ample room for action or error.

📝 In Action

No tenemos margen de tiempo para terminar el proyecto.

B2

We don't have enough time (room of time) to finish the project.

El margen de error permitido es muy bajo.

B2

The allowed margin of error is very low.

Dejaron un pequeño margen para negociar el precio final.

C1

They left a small room (leeway) to negotiate the final price.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • espacio (space)
  • flexibilidad (flexibility)

Common Collocations

  • margen de maniobra – room for maneuver/action
  • margen de error – margin of error

margin, profit margin

Also: spread
NounmC1formal
Two stacks of colorful blocks. The first stack representing 'cost' is shorter. The second stack representing 'price' is taller, with the topmost section of the taller stack highlighted in a different color to represent the profit margin.

📝 In Action

La compañía debe aumentar su margen de beneficio para ser sostenible.

C1

The company must increase its profit margin to be sustainable.

El margen bruto de la venta fue del 15%.

C2

The gross margin on the sale was 15%.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • margen de beneficio – profit margin
  • margen bruto – gross margin

Translate to Spanish

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: margen

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'margen' in the sense of 'room for flexibility'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
marginal(marginal / secondary) — Adjective
marginar(to marginalize / to exclude) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The word comes directly from the Latin word *margo*, which meant 'edge,' 'border,' or 'side.' This original meaning is still the most common use in Spanish today.

First recorded: 13th century (in Spanish)

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: margineFrench: marge

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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.