Inklingo

How to Say "both" in Spanish

The Spanish word forbothis ambasA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1

ambas

PronounA1
referring to two women or two feminine nouns
A simple storybook illustration featuring two identical, stylized girls standing side-by-side on a plain background.

Examples

Mis dos hijas son doctoras. Ambas trabajan en el mismo hospital.

My two daughters are doctors. Both of them work in the same hospital.

Las mesas son muy viejas. Necesitamos reemplazar ambas.

The tables are very old. We need to replace both (of them).

Ambas propuestas son excelentes, pero solo podemos elegir una.

Both proposals are excellent, but we can only choose one.

Feminine Agreement

You MUST use 'ambas' (feminine) when you are talking about two things that are feminine nouns (like ciudades or ideas), or two female people.

Acting as an Adjective

'Ambas' can go right before a noun (like an adjective) to say 'both X': 'Ambas chicas' (Both girls). It can also stand alone (as a pronoun): 'Me gustan ambas' (I like both).

Using the Masculine Form Incorrectly

Mistake:Quiero las dos sillas. Quiero ambos.

Correction: Quiero las dos sillas. Quiero ambas. (Since 'sillas' is feminine, the pronoun must be 'ambas'.)

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