teoría

teh-oh-REE-ah

nounfB1

theory?A set of ideas intended to explain something, often scientific or academic.

Also:hypothesis?An unproven idea used as the basis for further reasoning.,conjecture?A simple guess or idea.

📝 In Action

La nueva teoría del profesor explica los agujeros negros.

The professor's new theory explains black holes.

En teoría, este plan debería funcionar, pero hay que probarlo.

In theory, this plan should work, but we have to test it.

Estudiamos la teoría musical antes de tocar el instrumento.

We study music theory before playing the instrument.

Word Connections

Synonyms

hipótesis (hypothesis)
postulado (postulate)
idea (idea)

Antonyms

práctica (practice)
realidad (reality)
evidencia (evidence)

Common Collocations

una teoría científica – a scientific theory
poner en teoría – to theorize
la teoría del caos – chaos theory

Idioms & Expressions

De la teoría a la práctica. – Moving from the idea stage to the implementation/action stage.

💡 Grammar Points

Always Feminine

Even though 'teoría' ends in '-a', like many Spanish words, remember it is a feminine noun and always takes the feminine article: 'la teoría'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Theory and Practice

Mistake: "Using 'teoría' when you mean 'realidad' (reality) or 'práctica' (practice)."

Correction: Teoría refers to the conceptual idea; práctica refers to the actual doing or implementation. Use 'en teoría' (in theory) versus 'en la práctica' (in practice).

⭐ Usage Tips

A Quick Disclaimer

Use the phrase 'solo es una teoría' (it's only a theory) to let people know that your explanation is just an unproven guess, not a confirmed fact.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: teoría

Question 1 of 1

Which of the following is the best translation for 'Solo es una teoría mía'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

teórico(theoretical (adj.)) - adjective

teóricamente(theoretically (adv.)) - adverb

teorizar(to theorize (verb)) - verb

Frequently Asked Questions

How is 'teoría' different from 'prueba' (proof)?

'Teoría' is the explanation or model, while 'prueba' is the solid evidence or confirmation that the explanation is correct. A theory must be proven to become a fact or law.