primer
“primer” means “first” in Spanish (used right before a masculine noun).
first
📝 In Action
Hoy es mi primer día de clases.
A1Today is my first day of classes.
El primer paso es siempre el más difícil.
A2The first step is always the hardest.
Ganó el primer premio en el concurso.
B1He won the first prize in the contest.
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: primer
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'prīmārius', which meant 'of the first rank' or 'principal'. It's a close relative of English words like 'primary' and 'prime'.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
💡 Master Spanish
Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'primer' and 'primero'?
'Primer' is a shortened version of 'primero' that you use ONLY when it's placed directly before a masculine noun (like 'el primer día'). In almost all other situations, you use 'primero' (e.g., 'Él llegó primero' - He arrived first) or 'primera' for feminine nouns ('la primera vez').
Do other numbers do this, like 'segundo' (second)?
Great question! Only 'primero' (first) and 'tercero' (third) have these short forms ('primer' and 'tercer'). All the other ordinal numbers, like 'segundo', 'cuarto', 'quinto', etc., always keep their full form, no matter where they are in the sentence.