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periódicos

peh-ree-OH-dee-kohspeˈɾjoðikos

“periódicos” means “newspapers” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

newspapers

Also: papers
NounmA1
A neat stack of brightly colored, folded newspapers resting on a wooden surface. One newspaper is partially open, showing generic illustrations and large, illegible headlines.

📝 In Action

Todos los días compro dos periódicos en el quiosco.

A1

Every day I buy two newspapers at the kiosk.

Los periódicos de hoy tienen noticias muy interesantes.

A2

Today's newspapers have very interesting news.

Reciclamos todos los periódicos viejos una vez al mes.

A2

We recycle all the old newspapers once a month.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • diarios (dailies)
  • gacetas (gazettes (often formal))

Common Collocations

  • leer los periódicos – to read the newspapers
  • prensa y periódicos – press and newspapers

periodic, regular

Also: recurring
Three identical, brightly colored spheres (representing abstract events) moving in a line, separated by perfectly equal distances, illustrating regularity.

📝 In Action

Necesitamos hacer exámenes periódicos de la calidad del agua.

B1

We need to do periodic examinations of the water quality.

Los pagos periódicos se realizan cada tres meses.

B2

The regular payments are made every three months.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • regulares (regular)
  • cíclicos (cyclical)

Antonyms

  • irregulares (irregular)

Common Collocations

  • informes periódicos – periodic reports
  • revisión periódica – periodic check-up

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: periódicos

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'periódicos' to describe how often something happens, rather than referring to printed news?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
periódico(newspaper / periodic (singular)) — Noun / Adjective
periodismo(journalism) — Noun
periodicidad(periodicity / regularity) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
típicoslógicos
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word *periodicus*, which itself is derived from the Greek *periodikós*, meaning 'coming around at intervals' or 'recurring'. This perfectly explains both the adjective meaning (regular timing) and the noun meaning (a publication that comes out regularly).

First recorded: 17th century (in the modern Spanish sense of a news publication)

Cognates (Related words)

English: periodicFrench: périodique

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'periódicos' the same as 'diarios'?

They are often used as synonyms when referring to newspapers. 'Diarios' literally means 'dailies' (publications that come out every day), while 'periódicos' refers to anything that comes out at a regular interval (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). In practice, they usually mean the same thing: newspapers.

How do I know if 'periódicos' is a noun or an adjective?

Look at the words around it. If it follows a word like 'los' or 'unos' (articles) and is the main thing being discussed, it's the noun (newspapers). If it is placed next to another noun (like 'informes' or 'chequeos') and describes its timing, it's the adjective (regular/periodic).