Inklingo

How to Say "holiday" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “holiday” is “vacaciones” — use 'vacaciones' when referring to a period of time away from work or school, similar to 'vacation' or 'time off' in American English..

English → Spanish

vacaciones

/bah-kah-SYOH-nes//ba.kaˈsjo.nes/

nounA1General
Use 'vacaciones' when referring to a period of time away from work or school, similar to 'vacation' or 'time off' in American English.
A bright yellow beach umbrella stuck in white sand, with the gentle blue ocean visible in the background under a sunny sky.

Examples

¿Cuándo empiezan tus vacaciones de verano?

When does your summer vacation start?

Estamos de vacaciones en la playa.

We are on holiday/vacation at the beach.

Necesito urgentemente tomarme unas largas vacaciones.

I urgently need to take a long vacation.

Always Plural

In Spanish, 'vacaciones' is always used in the plural form, even if you are referring to a single trip or period of time off. You must use plural articles (las) and plural modifiers.

The Expression 'De vacaciones'

To say someone is 'on vacation,' use the preposition 'de' (Estamos de vacaciones, not en vacaciones).

Using the Singular

Mistake: “Me tomé una vacación.”

Correction: Me tomé unas vacaciones. (It is always treated as plural in Spanish.)

Incorrect Article

Mistake: “El vacaciones es mañana.”

Correction: Las vacaciones son mañana. ('Vacaciones' is feminine and plural, so use 'las' and the plural verb form 'son'.)

fiesta

/fyes-tah//ˈfjesta/

nounA2General
Use 'fiesta' for a specific day of celebration, often a religious or public festival, rather than a personal break.
A vibrant, colorful public street festival scene with people dancing under strings of decorative paper banners (papel picado) and falling confetti.

Examples

La Fiesta de San Fermín en Pamplona es mundialmente famosa.

The Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona is world-famous.

El primero de mayo es fiesta en muchos países.

The first of May is a holiday in many countries.

Cada pueblo tiene su propia fiesta patronal para celebrar a su santo.

Each town has its own patron saint's festival to celebrate its saint.

Vacaciones vs. Fiesta

The most common mistake is using 'fiesta' to mean your personal time off. Remember, 'vacaciones' is for your vacation or break, while 'fiesta' is for a public celebration or festival.

Related Translations

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