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nube

NOO-behˈnu.βe

“nube” means “cloud” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

cloud

Also: haze
NounfA1
A large, simple, fluffy white cumulus cloud floating against a bright blue sky.

📝 In Action

Hay muchas nubes grises hoy, creo que va a llover.

A1

There are many grey clouds today, I think it's going to rain.

El avión volaba por encima de las nubes.

A2

The plane was flying above the clouds.

Vimos una nube de polvo cuando pasó el camión.

B1

We saw a cloud of dust when the truck passed.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • nubarrón (storm cloud)
  • celaje (sky view/cloudscape)

Common Collocations

  • nube de lluvia – rain cloud
  • nube blanca/gris – white/grey cloud
  • estar en las nubes – to be daydreaming/have your head in the clouds

Idioms & Expressions

  • estar en una nube – To be extremely happy or blissfully unaware.

the cloud

Also: cloud services
NounfB2
A drawing of a stylized white cloud receiving streams of small, colorful geometric shapes representing data packets flowing up from a computer screen below, symbolizing digital storage.

📝 In Action

Guardé todos mis documentos importantes en la nube para acceder a ellos desde cualquier lugar.

B2

I 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.

C1

Many companies are migrating their data to the cloud to save costs.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • almacenar en la nube – to store in the cloud
  • servicios en la nube – cloud services
  • subir a la nube – to upload to the cloud

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "nube" in Spanish:

cloud→cloud services→haze→the cloud→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: nube

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'nube' in its non-weather related, technical sense?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
nublado(cloudy) — Adjective
nublar(to cloud over/to blur) — Verb
nubosidad(cloudiness) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
subetube
📚 Etymology▼

Comes directly from the Latin word *nūbēs*, which also meant 'cloud' or 'mist'. It has been part of the Spanish language since its earliest forms.

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: nuvemItalian: nuvola

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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).