vientre
/bee-EN-treh/
belly
The most common meaning of vientre is the belly or abdomen.
vientre(noun)
belly
?abdomen
,stomach
?informal reference to the abdomen
tummy
?informal or child-friendly
📝 In Action
Me duele el vientre después de comer demasiado.
A2My belly hurts after eating too much.
El bebé durmió boca abajo sobre el vientre de su padre.
A2The baby slept face down on his father's stomach.
La bailarina tenía un vientre plano y fuerte.
B1The dancer had a flat, strong abdomen.
⭐ Usage Tips
Barriga vs. Vientre
While both mean 'belly,' 'barriga' is usually more common and slightly more informal, especially when talking about a visibly round stomach. 'Vientre' is slightly more formal or used in medical or literary contexts.
In the context of reproduction or motherhood, vientre can refer to the womb.
vientre(noun)
womb
?uterus/pregnancy
hold
?interior of a ship or vessel
,interior
?general core/inside
📝 In Action
La madre llevó a su hijo en el vientre durante nueve meses.
B2The mother carried her son in her womb for nine months.
El cargamento fue guardado en el vientre oscuro del buque.
C1The cargo was stored in the dark hold (belly) of the vessel.
⭐ Usage Tips
Figurative Depth
Using 'vientre' to describe the interior of an object (like a ship or mountain) gives a sense of a large, deep, often hidden cavity, much like the human body's interior.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: vientre
Question 1 of 2
¿Qué palabra usarías para hablar de la parte del cuerpo donde se lleva un bebé antes de nacer?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'vientre' the same as 'estómago'?
Not exactly. 'Vientre' means the whole 'belly' or 'abdomen' area, the outside part. 'Estómago' refers specifically to the internal organ (stomach) that digests food. However, sometimes people use 'estómago' informally to mean the general abdominal area.
Why is 'vientre' masculine if it can mean 'womb'?
In Spanish, the gender of a noun is often unrelated to the gender of the person or thing it describes. 'Vientre' inherited its masculine gender from its Latin root, *venter*, which was also masculine.