Inklingo

How to Say "shards" in Spanish

English → Spanish

pedazos

peh-DAH-sos/peˈða.θos/

nounA1general
Use 'pedazos' when referring to general broken pieces, especially when something has shattered into many parts, like a dropped plate.
A simple blue ceramic plate lying on a flat surface, clearly broken into several distinct fragments and pieces.

Examples

El jarrón se cayó y se hizo mil pedazos.

The vase fell and broke into a thousand pieces.

El plato se cayó al suelo y se rompió en mil pedazos.

The plate fell to the floor and broke into a thousand pieces.

Quiero dos pedazos de pizza, por favor.

I want two pieces of pizza, please.

Recogimos los pedazos de papel mojado.

We picked up the bits of wet paper.

Plural Form

"Pedazos" is the plural form of "pedazo" (piece). You must use it when referring to more than one part.

Confusing Singular/Plural

Mistake: “Dame un pedazos de pan.”

Correction: Dame un pedazo de pan. (Use the singular form 'pedazo' when you mean 'one piece'.)

fragmentos

/frahg-MEN-tohs//fɾaɣˈmentos/

nounA2general
Use 'fragmentos' when you want to emphasize sharp or distinct pieces, particularly of materials like glass or pottery that can break into dangerous shards.
A collection of small colorful ceramic pieces scattered on a plain surface.

Examples

Ten cuidado con los fragmentos de cristal en el suelo.

Be careful with the shards of glass on the floor.

Había fragmentos de vidrio por todo el suelo.

There were fragments of glass all over the floor.

Los arqueólogos encontraron fragmentos de cerámica antigua.

The archaeologists found fragments of ancient pottery.

Plural Naming Words

This is the plural form of 'fragmento'. Because it ends in 'os', it tells us there is more than one and that the word is masculine.

Gender Agreement

Mistake: “las fragmentos”

Correction: los fragmentos

General vs. Sharp Pieces

Learners often confuse 'pedazos' and 'fragmentos' by using them interchangeably. While 'pedazos' is more general for any broken bits, 'fragmentos' often implies sharper, more defined pieces, especially of glass or ceramics, making it closer to the English 'shards'.

Related Translations

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