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preliminar

pre-lee-mee-nar/pɾelimiˈnaɾ/

“preliminar” means “preliminary” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

preliminary

Also: introductory, initial
Adjectivem or fB1
A swimmer in a ready position on a starting block before a race begins.

📝 In Action

Los resultados preliminares del examen son muy buenos.

B1

The preliminary results of the exam are very good.

El equipo ganó la fase preliminar del torneo.

B1

The team won the preliminary phase of the tournament.

Hicieron una investigación preliminar antes de construir la casa.

B2

They did a preliminary investigation before building the house.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • examen preliminar – preliminary exam
  • estudio preliminar – preliminary study
  • acuerdo preliminar – preliminary agreement

preliminaries

Also: foreplay, lead-up
NounmB2
A musician tuning a violin on a stage before a concert.

📝 In Action

Después de los preliminares, empezó la verdadera discusión.

B2

After the preliminaries, the real discussion began.

El boxeador se está preparando para los preliminares.

B2

The boxer is preparing for the preliminaries (qualifying rounds).

No perdamos tiempo con los preliminares y vayamos al grano.

C1

Let's not waste time with the lead-up and get straight to the point.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • preámbulo (preamble)
  • introducción (introduction)

Antonyms

  • conclusión (conclusion)
  • fin (end)

Common Collocations

  • saltarse los preliminares – to skip the preliminaries
  • largos preliminares – long preliminaries

Translate to Spanish

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: preliminar

Question 1 of 3

Which of these is a correct way to use the word?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
preliminarmente(preliminarily) — Adverb
límite(limit) — Noun
eliminar(to eliminate) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'praeliminaris', which combines 'prae' (before) and 'limen' (threshold/doorway). It literally means 'before the threshold'.

First recorded: 17th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: preliminaryFrench: préliminaire

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'preliminar' change for feminine nouns?

No, it stays the same. You can say 'un informe preliminar' (masculine) and 'una nota preliminar' (feminine).

Is 'preliminar' a formal word?

It is slightly formal, but very common in daily news, sports reports, and at work. It's not too stiff for a normal conversation.

What's the difference between 'previo' and 'preliminar'?

'Previo' just means it happened before. 'Preliminar' usually implies it is a preparation or an introductory step for something bigger coming later.