supermercado

soo-per-mer-KAH-dohsu.peɾ.meɾˈka.ðo

“supermercado” means “supermarket” in Spanish (large self-service store).

supermarket, grocery store

NounmA1

MexicoSpain

A colorful storybook illustration depicting the inside of a supermarket aisle. Tall shelves are stocked neatly with various colorful grocery items. A bright red shopping cart is positioned in the middle of the aisle.

📝 In Action

Necesito ir al supermercado antes de que cierre.

I need to go to the supermarket before it closes.

Compramos todas las frutas y verduras en el supermercado local.

We buy all the fruits and vegetables at the local grocery store.

El carrito del supermercado estaba lleno de ofertas.

The supermarket cart was full of sales/deals.

Word Connections

Synonyms

tienda de comestibles (grocery shop)
hipermercado (hypermarket (even bigger store))

Common Collocations

carrito del supermercado – shopping cart
cajero del supermercado – supermarket cashier
hacer la compra en el supermercado – to do the grocery shopping

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "supermercado" in Spanish:

grocery store→supermarket→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: supermercado

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses the article for 'supermercado'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼

mercado(market) — Noun

súper(super (colloquial abbreviation)) — Noun

superar(to overcome, to surpass) — Verb

🎵 Rhymes▼

abogado soldado

📚 Etymology▼

'Supermercado' is a modern compound word created by combining two parts: 'súper-' (meaning 'over' or 'above,' derived from Latin) and 'mercado' (meaning 'market,' derived from the Latin word *mercatus*). It literally means 'over-market' or 'big market,' reflecting the idea of a large store.

First recorded: Mid-20th century (following the rise of the supermarket concept globally)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: supermercadoItalian: supermercato

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'supermercado' the same as 'mercado'?

No. A 'supermercado' is a modern, indoor grocery store where you serve yourself. A 'mercado' is usually a traditional, often open-air market with many small stalls and vendors.

Why is it 'el supermercado' and not 'la supermercado'?

Spanish nouns ending in '-o' are overwhelmingly masculine, which means they take the article 'el'. Even though the word 'super' might sound feminine, the base word 'mercado' determines the gender.