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piano

/pee-AH-noh/

piano

A detailed illustration of a polished, black grand piano with the lid propped open, showing the keys and internal strings.

The Spanish word "piano" refers to this large keyboard musical instrument.

piano(noun)

mA1

piano

?

musical instrument

📝 In Action

Mi hermano toca el piano desde que era niño.

A1

My brother has played the piano since he was a child.

Necesitamos mover el piano de la sala al estudio.

A2

We need to move the piano from the living room to the study.

Ella prefiere el sonido de un piano acústico en lugar de uno digital.

B1

She prefers the sound of an acoustic piano instead of a digital one.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • tocar el piano – to play the piano
  • clases de piano – piano lessons
  • piano de cola – grand piano

💡 Grammar Points

Masculine Noun Rule

'Piano' is always a masculine word, so you must use 'el' (the) or 'un' (a) before it: 'el piano' or 'un piano'.

Playing Instruments

When talking about playing an instrument in Spanish, you always use the definite article ('el' or 'la'): 'Toco el piano,' not 'Toco piano'.

A small, delicate, pale blue sound wave floating gently across a quiet, muted background, symbolizing soft volume.

"Piano" can also be used as a musical instruction meaning 'softly' or 'quietly'.

piano(adverb)

B2

softly

?

musical instruction (dynamic)

Also:

quietly

?

musical instruction

📝 In Action

El violín debe entrar piano en el compás dieciséis.

B2

The violin must enter softly (quietly) at measure sixteen.

La partitura indica que esa sección se toca 'piano, piano', es decir, muy suave.

C1

The score indicates that that section is played 'piano, piano,' meaning very softly.

Word Connections

Antonyms

  • forte (loudly)

💡 Grammar Points

Dynamic Markings

In music, 'piano' means 'soft.' It comes from the full name of the instrument: the 'pianoforte,' which means 'soft-loud,' referring to the instrument's ability to play both.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: piano

Question 1 of 2

If a composer writes 'tocar piano' in the sheet music, what does it mean?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

pianista(pianist) - noun
pianístico(pianistic) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'piano' a masculine word when it ends in '-o'?

'Piano' is masculine (el piano) because most Spanish nouns ending in '-o' are masculine. While there are a few exceptions, this is the standard pattern.

Is the word 'piano' originally Spanish?

No. 'Piano' is one of many musical terms borrowed directly from Italian, which is the traditional language for classical music notation.