radio
RA-dyo
📝 In Action
Me gusta escuchar la radio en el coche.
A1I like to listen to the radio in the car.
¿Puedes encender la radio? Quiero oír las noticias.
A2Can you turn on the radio? I want to hear the news.
Mi abuela todavía tiene una radio antigua que funciona perfectamente.
B1My grandmother still has an old radio that works perfectly.
💡 Grammar Points
A Feminine Word Ending in '-o'
This is a big one! Even though it ends in '-o', when we talk about the broadcast or the device, 'radio' is a girl. Always say 'la radio' or 'una radio'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'el' instead of 'la'
Mistake: "Escucho *el radio* por la mañana."
Correction: Escucho *la radio* por la mañana. Remember, for the broadcast medium, it's always feminine ('la').
⭐ Usage Tips
The Medium vs. The Device
You can use 'la radio' to talk about the idea of radio broadcasting in general ('La radio cambió el mundo') or to talk about the physical device you listen to ('Pásame la radio').
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: radio
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence is correct for talking about listening to music?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'radio' sometimes 'la radio' (feminine) and sometimes 'el radio' (masculine)?
It's because they are technically two different words that happen to be spelled the same! 'La radio' (feminine) is a shortening of the original term 'la radiodifusión' (radio broadcasting). Because the full word was feminine, the short version stayed feminine. 'El radio' (masculine) comes directly from the Latin word 'radius', which was masculine, and it kept its gender for meanings like radius, spoke, and the bone.
Is it 'un radio' or 'una radio' for the physical device?
Great question! It's most commonly 'la radio' for the device, but you might hear both 'un radio' or 'una radio' depending on the region and the speaker. The safest and most standard choice is to treat the device as feminine: 'una radio bonita'.