mortales
“mortales” means “deadly” in Spanish. It has 3 different meanings depending on context:
deadly, mortal
Also: fatal
📝 In Action
El guerrero sufrió varias heridas mortales.
B1The warrior suffered several deadly wounds.
Todos somos mortales y debemos aceptar el fin.
B2We are all mortal and must accept the end.
mortals
Also: humans
📝 In Action
Es un secreto que los simples mortales no pueden conocer.
B2It is a secret that mere mortals cannot know.
Los dioses bajaron a la tierra para hablar con los mortales.
B2The gods came down to earth to speak with mortals.
killing
Also: deadly boring, amazing
📝 In Action
Estas clases de matemáticas son mortales.
C1These math classes are killing me (extremely boring/hard).
Después de correr tanto, tengo unas agujetas mortales.
C1After running so much, I have some killer muscle aches.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: mortales
Question 1 of 2
Which of these is the most likely meaning of 'heridas mortales'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin 'mortālis', which comes from 'mors' (death). It follows the same root that gave us the English word 'mortal'.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
💡 Master Spanish
Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'mortales' change if I'm talking about women?
No. Adjectives that end in 'l' (like mortal) are the same for both masculine and feminine. You just add 'es' for the plural 'mortales' regardless of gender.
Can 'mortales' be used to mean 'cool'?
In some slang contexts, especially in parts of Latin America, you might hear it used to mean something is 'killer' or 'awesome', but it is much more common to mean 'deadly' or 'exhausting'.