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topo

TOH-poh/ˈtopo/

mole

Also: shrew
NounmA2
A small brown mole with a pink nose and large claws peeking out from a mound of dirt in a green field.

📝 In Action

Hay un topo haciendo túneles en mi jardín.

A2

There is a mole making tunnels in my garden.

Los topos tienen una vista muy débil.

B1

Moles have very weak eyesight.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • madriguera de topo – mole hole / burrow

Idioms & Expressions

  • ser un topo – to be very short-sighted or blind to something obvious
  • corto de vista como un topo – blind as a bat / very poor vision

mole

Also: infiltrator
NounmB2
A mysterious person in a trench coat and hat standing under a streetlamp in the shadows.

📝 In Action

La policía cree que hay un topo en la banda.

B2

The police believe there is a mole in the gang.

El topo filtró documentos secretos a la prensa.

C1

The mole leaked secret documents to the press.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • infiltrado (undercover agent)
  • espía (spy)

Common Collocations

  • descubrir al topo – to find/unmask the mole
  • actuar como un topo – to act as an undercover informant

polka dot

NounmB1
Spain
A piece of bright blue fabric with large, evenly spaced white circles.

📝 In Action

Me encanta esa camisa de topos azules.

B1

I love that blue polka dot shirt.

Los vestidos de flamenca suelen tener muchos topos.

B2

Flamenco dresses usually have many polka dots.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • estampado de topos – polka dot print

I run into, I bump into

VerbB1regular ar
Two people accidentally bumping into each other while walking in a park, looking surprised and friendly.
gerundtopando
past Participletopado
infinitivetopar

📝 In Action

Casi siempre me topo con él en el supermercado.

B1

I almost always run into him at the supermarket.

Si no tengo cuidado, me topo con la mesa.

A2

If I'm not careful, I'll bump into the table.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • toparse con alguien – to run into someone

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedestoparan
yotopara
tútoparas
vosotrostoparais
nosotrostopáramos
él/ella/ustedtopara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedestopen
yotope
tútopes
vosotrostopéis
nosotrostopemos
él/ella/ustedtope

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedestoparon
yotopé
tútopaste
vosotrostopasteis
nosotrostopamos
él/ella/ustedtopó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedestopaban
yotopaba
tútopabas
vosotrostopabais
nosotrostopábamos
él/ella/ustedtopaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedestopan
yotopo
tútopas
vosotrostopáis
nosotrostopamos
él/ella/ustedtopa
View All Tenses & Moods →

Vocabulary Collections

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "topo" in Spanish:

infiltrator→mole→polka dot→shrew→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: topo

Question 1 of 2

If someone says your shirt has 'muchos topos', what are they talking about?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
topera(mole hole) — Noun
topetazo(a big bump or headbutt) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
copomopo
📚 Etymology▼

From Latin 'talpa' for the animal. The verb 'topar' likely comes from an old word imitating the sound of a 'thud' or impact.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: talpaFrench: taupe

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'topo' always mean the animal?

No! It can be the animal, a secret spy, a polka dot pattern, or even a form of the verb 'to bump into' (topar).

Is it 'el topo' or 'la topo'?

It is always 'el topo'. It is a masculine noun, even if you are talking about a female mole.