Inklingo

How to Say "hands" in Spanish

English → Spanish

manos

/mah-nohs//ˈmanos/

nounA1general
Use 'manos' when referring to the body parts at the end of your arms, used for touching, holding, and gesturing.
A pair of human hands, depicted with palms slightly open and facing up.

Examples

Lávate las manos antes de comer, por favor.

Wash your hands before eating, please.

Le dimos dos manos de pintura a la pared para que quedara perfecta.

We gave the wall two coats of paint so it would look perfect.

Necesitamos más manos en la granja durante la cosecha.

We need more hands (workers) on the farm during the harvest.

A Tricky Gender: 'la mano', 'las manos'

Even though 'mano' ends in '-o', it's a feminine word. Always use 'la' for one hand and 'las' for two. This is an important exception to remember, like 'la foto' or 'la moto'.

Using 'los' instead of 'las'

Mistake: “Me lavo *los manos*.”

Correction: Me lavo *las manos*. Because 'mano' is feminine, its plural form 'manos' is also feminine. So, you always need to use 'las'.

agujas

/ah-GOO-hahs//aˈɡuxas/

nounA2specific
Use 'agujas' specifically when talking about the moving pointers on a clock or watch that indicate the time.
Close up view of two long, thin metal pointers from a timepiece.

Examples

Las agujas del reloj marcan la medianoche.

The clock hands are pointing to midnight.

Body Parts vs. Clock Parts

The most common mistake is using 'manos' for clock hands. Remember that 'manos' refers to your own body parts. For clock pointers, the correct term is 'agujas'.

Related Translations

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