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How to Say "arms" in Spanish

English → Spanish

brazos

BRAH-sohs/ˈbɾasos/

NounA1General
Use 'brazos' when referring to the limbs of the human body or an animal.
A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration showing two bare human arms extending outwards from the shoulders.

Examples

Necesitas estirar los brazos antes de nadar.

You need to stretch your arms before swimming.

Tenía muchos paquetes en los brazos y no podía abrir la puerta.

She had many packages in her arms and couldn't open the door.

Natural Plural Usage

In Spanish, body parts are often referred to using the definite article (el, la, los, las) instead of possessive adjectives (my, your). For example: 'Me duelen los brazos' (My arms hurt).

Using 'Mis brazos'

Mistake:Me duelen mis brazos.

Correction: Me duelen los brazos. (The reflexive structure indicates whose arms they are, making 'mis' redundant and unnatural.)

armas

/AR-mas//ˈaɾmas/

NounA2General
Use 'armas' when referring to weapons, military equipment, or arms in a military context.
A collection of ancient fighting tools, including a sword, a shield, and a spear, lying on the ground.

Examples

El museo tiene una colección de armas antiguas.

The museum has a collection of ancient weapons.

La policía encontró las armas en el coche.

The police found the weapons in the car.

Para tener éxito, tus mejores armas son la paciencia y el trabajo duro.

To succeed, your best tools (weapons) are patience and hard work.

A Tricky Gender Rule

Even though 'arma' is a feminine word, in its singular form we say 'el arma'. This is a special rule to make the pronunciation flow better and avoid the 'a-a' sound of 'la arma'. In the plural, it goes back to normal: 'las armas'.

Singular vs. Plural

Mistake:La arma es peligrosa.

Correction: El arma es peligrosa. Remember that for singular feminine words starting with a stressed 'a' sound (like agua, alma, arma), you use 'el'. But any describing words still need to be feminine, like 'peligrosa'.

Body Parts vs. Weapons

The most common mistake is using 'armas' for body parts. Remember that 'brazos' refers to your limbs, while 'armas' always means weapons. Don't confuse your biceps with artillery!

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