personales
“personales” means “personal” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
personal, private
Also: individual
📝 In Action
Necesito hablar contigo sobre asuntos personales.
A1I need to talk to you about personal matters.
Todos tienen sus razones personales para tomar esa decisión.
A2Everyone has their personal reasons for making that decision.
Las llamadas personales están prohibidas durante el horario de trabajo.
B1Private calls are prohibited during work hours.
personal belongings
Also: personal files, private affairs
📝 In Action
Asegúrate de llevar todos tus personales antes de salir del hotel.
B1Make sure to take all your personal belongings before leaving the hotel.
El abogado revisó los personales del cliente.
B2The lawyer reviewed the client's personal files.
Deje sus personales aquí y pase por el control de seguridad.
B1Leave your personal effects here and go through the security checkpoint.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "personales" in Spanish:
individual→personal→personal belongings→personal files→private→private affairs→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: personales
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'personales' as a noun (meaning belongings)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes directly from the Latin word *personalis*, meaning 'of a person' or 'belonging to a person'. It has been in use in Spanish since the Middle Ages.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'personales' ever mean 'staff' or 'personnel'?
No. The Spanish word for 'staff' or 'personnel' is the singular noun 'el personal'. While 'personales' is the plural form of the adjective, it is almost never used as the plural of the noun 'staff'. If you need to refer to multiple staff members, you would usually say 'los empleados' (the employees).
Why is 'personales' used instead of 'privados' sometimes?
While both mean 'private', 'personales' emphasizes that something belongs specifically to an individual person (like personal data or personal reasons), while 'privados' often means 'kept secret' or 'not public' (like a private club or private conversation).