personales
/per-so-NAH-les/
personal
This image represents something that is 'personal' or relating exclusively to one person.
personales(Adjective)
personal
?relating to a specific person
,private
?not public
individual
?specific to one person
📝 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.
💡 Grammar Points
Adjective Agreement
Since 'personales' ends in '-es', it is the plural form. It must be used to describe plural nouns, whether they are masculine (asuntos) or feminine (razones).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using the Singular Form
Mistake: "Tengo dos problema personal."
Correction: Tengo dos problemas personales. (The adjective must be plural to match the plural noun 'problemas'.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Placement is Flexible
'Personales' usually goes after the noun it describes, which is the standard placement for descriptive adjectives in Spanish.
The noun form 'personales' refers to physical 'personal belongings' or effects.
personales(Noun)
personal belongings
?physical effects
personal files
?data or documents
,private affairs
?matters concerning an individual
📝 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.
💡 Grammar Points
Shortened Noun
This noun form is often a shortened way of saying 'efectos personales' (personal effects) or 'datos personales' (personal data), which is why it is usually treated as a masculine plural noun.
⭐ Usage Tips
Use with Possessives
This noun is almost always preceded by a possessive word (like 'mis', 'tus', 'sus') because the belongings or files belong to someone specific.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: personales
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'personales' as a noun (meaning belongings)?
📚 More Resources
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).