Inklingo

How to Say "handstand" in Spanish

English → Spanish

pino

/pee-no//ˈpino/

nounB1general
Use 'pino' when referring to the physical act of balancing on one's hands as a form of exercise or stunt.
A person balancing on their hands with their legs straight up in the air on a gym mat.

Examples

¡Mira, puedo hacer el pino!

Look, I can do a handstand!

Mira, ¡puedo hacer el pino!

Look, I can do a handstand!

El niño intentó hacer el pino en el césped.

The boy tried to do a handstand on the grass.

Hacer el pino requiere mucha fuerza en los brazos.

Doing a handstand requires a lot of arm strength.

Action Verb Pairing

This meaning is almost always used with the action word 'hacer' (to do/make).

Being vs. Doing

Mistake: “Saying 'soy un pino' to mean you are upside down.”

Correction: Say 'estoy haciendo el pino' (I am doing a handstand).

vertical

/ber-tee-KAHL//beɾ.tiˈkal/

nounB2gymnastics, technical
Use 'vertical' in specific contexts, often in gymnastics or technical descriptions, to refer to a handstand position, though it is less common and can be regional.
A single straight yellow pole standing upright in the sand.

Examples

Traza la vertical desde el punto A.

Draw the vertical line starting from point A.

El gimnasta mantuvo la vertical por diez segundos.

The gymnast held the handstand for ten seconds.

The feminine noun

When used as a noun to mean 'vertical line' or 'handstand', it is almost always feminine: 'la vertical'.

Confusing handstand terms

Mistake: “Hacer el vertical.”

Correction: Hacer la vertical. It is a feminine noun when referring to the exercise.

Pino vs. Vertical

Learners often mistakenly use 'vertical' for a general handstand because it sounds similar to the English word. However, 'pino' is the standard and most widely understood term for the physical exercise of a handstand in Spanish.

Related Translations

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