How to Say "intellectual" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “intellectual” is “intelectual” — use this adjective when referring generally to things related to the mind and thinking processes, such as an exercise or activity..
intelectual
/een-teh-lek-too-AHL//intelekˈtual/
Examples
La lectura es un gran ejercicio intelectual.
Reading is a great intellectual exercise.
Debemos proteger la propiedad intelectual de los artistas.
We must protect the intellectual property of artists.
El ajedrez es un juego muy intelectual.
Chess is a very intellectual game.
Él es un intelectual muy respetado en su país.
He is a very respected intellectual in his country.
One Form for All
This word is the same for both men and women. You don't need to change the ending to 'a'—just say 'el reto intelectual' or 'la capacidad intelectual'.
Don't confuse with 'inteligente'
Mistake: “Using 'intelectual' when you just mean someone is smart.”
Correction: Use 'inteligente' for general brain power, and 'intelectual' for things involving deep study or academic thought.
intelectual
/een-teh-lek-too-AHL//intelekˈtual/
Examples
Él es un intelectual muy respetado en su país.
He is a very respected intellectual in his country.
La lectura es un gran ejercicio intelectual.
Reading is a great intellectual exercise.
Debemos proteger la propiedad intelectual de los artistas.
We must protect the intellectual property of artists.
El ajedrez es un juego muy intelectual.
Chess is a very intellectual game.
One Form for All
This word is the same for both men and women. You don't need to change the ending to 'a'—just say 'el reto intelectual' or 'la capacidad intelectual'.
Don't confuse with 'inteligente'
Mistake: “Using 'intelectual' when you just mean someone is smart.”
Correction: Use 'inteligente' for general brain power, and 'intelectual' for things involving deep study or academic thought.
mental
men-TAHL/menˈtal/
Examples
Necesito tomar un descanso mental después de estudiar tanto.
I need to take a mental break after studying so much.
La salud mental es tan importante como la salud física.
Mental health is as important as physical health.
El doctor evaluó su estado mental antes de darle el alta.
The doctor evaluated his mental state before discharging him.
Always Agrees in Number
Since 'mental' ends in 'l', it is one of those adjectives that stays the same whether the noun is masculine or feminine (e.g., 'el esfuerzo mental', 'la fatiga mental'). You only need to make it plural: 'mentales'.
mentales
/men-TAH-les//menˈtales/
Examples
Los ejercicios mentales son buenos para el cerebro.
Mental exercises are good for the brain.
Debemos cuidar nuestros estados mentales.
We must take care of our mental states.
Ella hace cálculos mentales muy rápido.
She does mental math very quickly.
One word for everyone
In Spanish, words ending in '-al' like 'mental' don't change for 'boy' or 'girl' nouns. Since this is the plural version, 'mentales' works for both 'los' and 'las'.
Plural Matching
Because we are talking about more than one thing, we add '-es' to 'mental' to make it 'mentales'. It must match the plural noun it describes.
Adding just an 's'
Mistake: “los problemas mentals”
Correction: los problemas mentales
cerebral
seh-reh-BRAHL/θeɾeˈβɾal/
Examples
El director tiene un estilo muy cerebral; sus películas son complejas y requieren mucha atención.
The director has a very cerebral style; his movies are complex and require a lot of attention.
Ella es más cerebral que emocional al tomar decisiones importantes.
She is more analytical than emotional when making important decisions.
Confusing 'mental' with 'intelectual'
Related Translations
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