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orden

OR-denˈoɾ.ðen

“orden” means “order” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

order

Also: organization, tidiness
NounmA2
Five simple wooden blocks arranged perfectly in a sequence from smallest to largest, symbolizing order and tidiness.

📝 In Action

Por favor, pongan los libros en orden alfabético.

A2

Please, put the books in alphabetical order.

Me gusta tener mi escritorio en orden antes de trabajar.

B1

I like to have my desk in order (tidy) before working.

El orden de los factores no altera el producto.

B1

The order of the factors does not alter the product.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • organización (organization)
  • secuencia (sequence)
  • disposición (arrangement)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • poner en orden – to put in order, to tidy up
  • orden del día – agenda (for a meeting)
  • orden público – public order

order

Also: command, instruction, order
NounfA2
Latin America
A friendly waiter taking a food order from a customer at a cafe table, illustrating a commercial request.

📝 In Action

El capitán dio la orden de avanzar.

B1

The captain gave the order to advance.

Disculpe, ¿puedo tomar su orden?

A2

Excuse me, can I take your order?

Recibí una orden de compra para los nuevos materiales.

B2

I received a purchase order for the new materials.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • mandato (mandate, command)
  • instrucción (instruction)
  • pedido (request, order (commercial))

Common Collocations

  • dar una orden – to give an order
  • recibir una orden – to receive an order
  • a la orden – at your service

Idioms & Expressions

  • estar a la orden del día – to be commonplace or very frequent

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "orden" in Spanish:

command→instruction→order→organization→tidiness→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: orden

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence is correct for asking a friend to tidy up their room?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'ordo' (or more specifically, its form 'ordinem'), which meant 'a row, a series, a rank, or an arrangement'. You can see how this one root gave us both Spanish meanings: a structured arrangement ('el orden') and a command that establishes rank or structure ('la orden').

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: orderFrench: ordreItalian: ordine

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'orden' sometimes 'el orden' and sometimes 'la orden'? This is so confusing!

It's a great question! Think of them as two completely different words that just happen to be spelled the same. 'El orden' (masculine) is all about structure, tidiness, and sequence. 'La orden' (feminine) is about commands and requests. The key is to connect the meaning to 'el' or 'la'. If it's about tidiness, use 'el'. If it's a command, use 'la'.