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How to Say "property" in Spanish

English → Spanish

propiedad

proh-pee-eh-DAHD/pɾo.pjeˈðað/

nounA2general
Use 'propiedad' when referring to real estate like a house, apartment, or land, or more generally for possessions.
A simple red house with a chimney sitting on a green grassy hill, symbolizing real estate ownership.

Examples

Compré una propiedad en la playa.

I bought a property on the beach.

Quiero comprar una propiedad pequeña cerca del mar.

I want to buy a small property near the sea.

Esa es nuestra propiedad; la compramos el año pasado.

That is our property; we bought it last year.

Necesitamos los documentos que confirmen la propiedad del coche.

We need the documents that confirm ownership of the car.

Gender Check

Even though it ends in '-d', 'propiedad' is always a feminine word, so use 'la propiedad' or 'una propiedad'.

bienes

bee-EH-ness/ˈbjenes/

nounB1formal/legal
Use 'bienes' to refer to a person's assets or all the things they own, especially in a legal or financial context.
A colorful illustration showing a stack of various household goods, including a red book, a yellow teapot, a blue baseball bat, and a small green toy box.

Examples

Los bienes del difunto fueron heredados por sus hijos.

The deceased's assets were inherited by his children.

Todos sus bienes fueron repartidos entre sus hijos.

All his goods (assets) were divided among his children.

La empresa debe declarar sus bienes anualmente.

The company must declare its assets annually.

Solo llevaba unos pocos bienes personales en la maleta.

He only carried a few personal possessions in the suitcase.

Always Plural for 'Assets'

Even though the singular 'bien' means 'goodness' or 'well,' when you talk about physical or financial assets, you almost always use the plural form, 'bienes'.

Confusing Bien and Bienes

Mistake: “Using 'tengo mucho bien' to mean 'I have a lot of stuff.'”

Correction: Use 'tengo muchos bienes' or 'tengo muchas cosas.' 'Bien' usually means 'well' (adverb) or 'the good' (abstract concept).

posesión

nounB1general
Use 'posesión' for an item or collection of items that are owned or possessed, often implying personal belongings.

Examples

Se deshizo de todas sus posesiones materiales.

He got rid of all his material possessions.

propiedad

proh-pee-eh-DAHD/pɾo.pjeˈðað/

nounB2general/scientific
Use this sense of 'propiedad' to describe a quality or characteristic of something, similar to 'trait' or 'feature'.
A simple red house with a chimney sitting on a green grassy hill, symbolizing real estate ownership.

Examples

La resistencia al fuego es una propiedad importante de este material.

Fire resistance is an important property of this material.

Quiero comprar una propiedad pequeña cerca del mar.

I want to buy a small property near the sea.

Esa es nuestra propiedad; la compramos el año pasado.

That is our property; we bought it last year.

Necesitamos los documentos que confirmen la propiedad del coche.

We need the documents that confirm ownership of the car.

Gender Check

Even though it ends in '-d', 'propiedad' is always a feminine word, so use 'la propiedad' or 'una propiedad'.

Real Estate vs. Characteristics

The most common confusion is using 'propiedad' for a physical place versus its meaning as a characteristic. Remember that 'propiedad' can mean both a house/land AND a quality, while 'bienes' and 'posesión' refer to things owned.

Related Translations

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