nube
/NOO-beh/
cloud
A literal cloud illustrates the atmospheric meaning of nube.
📝 In Action
Hay muchas nubes grises hoy, creo que va a llover.
A1There are many grey clouds today, I think it's going to rain.
El avión volaba por encima de las nubes.
A2The plane was flying above the clouds.
Vimos una nube de polvo cuando pasó el camión.
B1We saw a cloud of dust when the truck passed.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Feminine
Remember that 'nube' is always feminine, even though it ends in '-e'. You must use 'la' or 'una' with it: 'la nube', 'una nube grande'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Gender
Mistake: "El nube"
Correction: La nube. Most words ending in '-e' are masculine, but 'nube' is a key exception you must memorize.
⭐ Usage Tips
Weather Expressions
Use 'Hay nubes' (There are clouds) or 'El cielo está cubierto de nubes' (The sky is covered in clouds) to describe cloudy weather.
In technology, nube refers to 'the cloud,' the network of servers used for data storage and computing.
📝 In Action
Guardé todos mis documentos importantes en la nube para acceder a ellos desde cualquier lugar.
B2I saved all my important documents in the cloud to access them from anywhere.
Muchas empresas están migrando sus datos a la nube para ahorrar costes.
C1Many companies are migrating their data to the cloud to save costs.
💡 Grammar Points
Using the Article
When talking about technology, we almost always use the definite article 'la': 'en la nube' (in the cloud), not just 'en nube'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Modern Context
This meaning is a direct translation (a cognate) from English 'the cloud' and refers to remote data storage, not weather. It’s used exactly the same way in modern Spanish conversations.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: nube
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'nube' in its non-weather related, technical sense?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'nube' feminine when it doesn't end in '-a'?
'Nube' is an exception to the common rule that words ending in '-e' are masculine. It inherited its feminine gender directly from its original Latin form (*nūbēs*), and its gender has simply remained feminine throughout the centuries. You must always say 'la nube'.
Can 'nube' be used to talk about a large group of insects?
Yes. While its primary meaning is atmospheric, 'nube' can also be used figuratively to describe a dense, large mass of something floating in the air, such as a 'nube de mosquitos' (a swarm/cloud of mosquitoes).