vacía

/vah-SEE-ah/

empty

A clear glass jar standing upright on a wooden table, completely devoid of any contents.

This jar is empty (vacía), lacking any content.

vacía(adjective)

fA1

empty

lacking content

Also:

vacant

unoccupied house/lot

hollow

fig., feeling empty

📝 In Action

La botella de agua está completamente vacía.

The water bottle is completely empty.

La casa se sentía muy vacía después de que se fueron todos.

The house felt very empty after everyone left.

Encontraron la caja fuerte vacía después del robo.

They found the safe empty after the robbery.

Word Connections

Synonyms

desocupada (unoccupied)

Antonyms

llena (full)

Common Collocations

casa vacía – empty house
mirada vacía – blank stare

💡 Grammar Points

Agreement is Key

As an adjective, 'vacía' must match the thing it describes. Use 'vacío' for masculine things (like el vaso) and 'vacía' for feminine things (like la taza, the cup).

⭐ Usage Tips

Figurative Use

You can use 'vacía' metaphorically to describe a feeling or a life lacking purpose: 'una vida vacía' (an empty life). It often pairs with the verb 'estar'.

A person tipping a small blue bucket upside down, pouring out sand onto the ground, illustrating the action of emptying.

She empties (vacía) the contents of the bucket.

vacía(verb)

A2regular (-ar, with accent shift) ar

empties

she/he/it/you formal present tense

empty (command)

informal 'tú' command

📝 In Action

Ella vacía el tazón de leche para el gato.

She empties the bowl of milk for the cat.

Siéntate y vacía tu mente de preocupaciones.

Sit down and empty your mind of worries.

¡Vacía la caja de herramientas y revísala!

Empty the toolbox and check it!

💡 Grammar Points

The Accent Shift

The accent mark on the 'i' in 'vacía' is crucial! It tells you to pronounce the 'i' and 'a' separately, keeping the strong 'EE-ah' sound, which is necessary for this verb's meaning.

Two Uses of 'vacía'

This exact form ('vacía') is used for two things: 1) Describing what she/he/it/you (formal) 'empties' in the present, OR 2) Telling an informal friend ('tú') to 'empty' something (a command).

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedvacía

yovacío

túvacías

ellos/ellas/ustedesvacían

nosotrosvaciamos

vosotrosvaciáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedvaciaba

yovaciaba

túvaciabas

ellos/ellas/ustedesvaciaban

nosotrosvaciábamos

vosotrosvaciabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedvació

yovacié

túvaciaste

ellos/ellas/ustedesvaciaron

nosotrosvaciamos

vosotrosvaciasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedvacíe

yovacíe

túvacíes

ellos/ellas/ustedesvacíen

nosotrosvaciemos

vosotrosvaciéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedvaciara

yovaciara

túvaciaras

ellos/ellas/ustedesvaciaran

nosotrosvaciáramos

vosotrosvaciarais

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: vacía

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'vacía' as a command?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

vacío(empty (masculine)) - adjective

vaciar(to empty) - verb

vaciado(emptying / drainage) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'vacía' have an accent mark?

The accent mark on the 'i' forces the two vowels (i-a) to be pronounced separately, creating a strong 'EE-ah' sound. This is essential to distinguish it from words where the vowels blend together.

What is the difference between 'vacía' (adjective) and 'vacío'?

'Vacía' is the feminine form, used for feminine objects (la caja vacía). 'Vacío' is the masculine form, used for masculine objects (el vaso vacío). They both mean 'empty.'