norte
“norte” means “north” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
north
Also: northerly
📝 In Action
La brújula siempre apunta al norte.
A1The compass always points north.
Mi casa está al norte de la ciudad.
A2My house is to the north of the city.
El viento del norte es muy frío.
B1The north wind is very cold.
guiding principle
Also: bearing, course, direction
📝 In Action
La honestidad es el norte que guía mi vida.
B2Honesty is the guiding principle that guides my life.
Después de la crisis, la empresa perdió el norte.
C1After the crisis, the company lost its way/direction.
Necesitamos un norte claro para este proyecto.
B2We need a clear direction for this project.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "norte" in Spanish:
bearing→course→direction→guiding principle→north→northerly→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: norte
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'norte' to talk about a goal or purpose, not a geographical direction?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from an old Germanic word, 'north', related to the direction 'to the left of the rising sun'. It entered Spanish through French.
First recorded: Around the 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do people say 'perder el norte'? What does it mean?
It's a popular idiom that literally means 'to lose the north'. Imagine being a sailor whose compass stops pointing north – you'd be completely lost! So, 'perder el norte' means to lose your way, get confused, or start acting erratically without any purpose.
Is it 'el norte' or just 'norte'?
Great question! Both are used. You typically use 'el norte' when talking about the north as a place or a general concept ('El norte tiene montañas'). You might drop 'el' when giving simple, direct commands ('Sigue norte por dos kilómetros'). When in doubt, including 'el' is often the safer choice.