Inklingo

How to Say "solitary" in Spanish

English → Spanish

solitario

/so-li-TA-rio//soliˈtaɾjo/

AdjectiveA2General
Use 'solitario' when describing a person or animal that prefers to be alone or is characterized by being alone.
A lone person sitting on a hillside, reading a book, surrounded by green grass and blue sky, illustrating a preference for being alone.

Examples

Mi gato es muy solitario y no le gustan otros animales.

My cat is very solitary and doesn't like other animals.

Después de que se fueron todos, se sintió muy solitario.

After everyone left, he felt very lonely.

Viven en una casa solitaria en la cima de la montaña.

They live in a secluded house on the top of the mountain.

Adjective Agreement

Like many Spanish descriptions, 'solitario' must change its ending to match the thing it describes. Use 'solitaria' for feminine things (like 'la casa solitaria') and 'solitarios' or 'solitarias' for plurals.

solos

SOH-lohs/ˈso.los/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'solos' (or 'sola', 'solos', 'solas' depending on gender and number) when referring to people or things that are left without company or assistance in a specific situation.
A single small child sitting alone on a large wooden bench in a vast, empty green field, emphasizing solitude.

Examples

Los niños se quedaron solos en casa mientras sus padres salían.

The children stayed home alone while their parents went out.

Estuvimos solos en la playa toda la tarde. ¡Qué tranquilidad!

We were alone on the beach all afternoon. What tranquility!

Ellos prefieren trabajar solos; no les gusta el trabajo en equipo.

They prefer to work by themselves; they don't like teamwork.

Adjective Agreement

As an adjective, 'solos' must match the people or things it describes in number (plural) and gender (masculine or a mixed group).

Ser vs. Estar

We usually use 'estar' (like 'estuvieron solos') because being 'alone' is typically a temporary state or current condition, unlike a permanent personality trait.

Using the wrong gender

Mistake: “Las chicas estaban *solos*.”

Correction: Las chicas estaban *solas*. (Match feminine plural subjects with the 'as' ending.)

Solitario vs. Solos

The most common mistake is using 'solitario' when you mean that someone or something was left alone in a particular instance. Remember, 'solitario' describes a personality or tendency, while 'solos' describes a state of being alone at a given time.

Related Translations

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