How to Say "chromosome" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “chromosome” is “cromosoma” — B2 level.
Examples
El ser humano tiene 46 cromosomas en total.
Human beings have 46 chromosomes in total.
Los científicos analizan el cromosoma para buscar enfermedades.
Scientists analyze the chromosome to look for diseases.
El cromosoma X es fundamental para determinar el sexo de un bebé.
The X chromosome is fundamental for determining a baby's sex.
The '-ma' rule
Even though it ends in 'a', this word is 'male' (masculine). You should always use 'el' or 'un' with it.
Making it plural
To talk about more than one, simply add an 's' at the end: 'los cromosomas'.
Gender confusion
Mistake: “La cromosoma es importante.”
Correction: El cromosoma es importante. (Words ending in -ma that come from Greek are almost always masculine in Spanish.)
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.