proporción
“proporción” means “proportion” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
proportion
Also: ratio, rate
📝 In Action
La proporción de agua y arroz es de dos a uno.
B1The proportion of water and rice is two to one.
Hay una gran proporción de estudiantes extranjeros en esta clase.
B1There is a high proportion of foreign students in this class.
El éxito depende, en gran proporción, de tu esfuerzo.
B2Success depends, to a great extent, on your effort.
scale
Also: dimensions, magnitude
📝 In Action
El incendio alcanzó proporciones épicas.
B2The fire reached epic proportions.
No te das cuenta de la proporción del problema.
B2You don't realize the magnitude of the problem.
Es una escultura de grandes proporciones.
C1It is a sculpture of large dimensions.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "proporción" in Spanish:
dimensions→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: proporción
Question 1 of 3
Which of these is the correct plural form of 'proporción'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin 'proportio', which described a symmetrical relationship or a comparison between parts.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'proporción' the same as 'porcentaje'?
Not exactly. While they are related, a 'porcentaje' is specifically a part out of 100, while 'proporción' is a more general relationship between parts.
Why does the accent disappear in 'proporciones'?
Spanish rules say that if a word ends in 'n', 's', or a vowel and the stress is on the second-to-last syllable, it doesn't need an accent mark. In 'proporciones', the stress naturally falls on the 'cio' part.
Can I use 'proporción' for people?
You wouldn't usually use it to describe a single person's personality, but you can use it for 'the proportion of people' in a group.