Inklingo

How to Say "thick" in Spanish

English → Spanish

cerrada

seh-RRAH-dah/seˈraða/

adjectiveB1
Use 'cerrada' to describe something that is dense and difficult to see through, like thick fog, heavy smoke, or impenetrable clouds.
A single person sits alone on a simple bench in a quiet park, looking down with their arms crossed, illustrating a reserved personality.

Examples

Había una niebla muy cerrada y no podíamos ver la carretera.

There was a very thick fog and we couldn't see the road.

Ella es muy cerrada con sus emociones y no le gusta compartirlas.

She is very reserved with her emotions and doesn't like to share them.

Tuvimos que conducir despacio debido a la neblina tan cerrada.

We had to drive slowly due to the fog being so dense (thick).

La comunidad rural era muy cerrada y desconfiaba de los extraños.

The rural community was very closed-off and distrusted strangers.

Describing Personality

When using 'cerrada' to describe a personality trait (a permanent characteristic), use the verb 'ser': 'Ella es cerrada'.

gorda

GOR-dah/ˈɡoɾða/

adjectiveB1
Use 'gorda' when referring to a thick layer, a thick line, or something substantial in width or bulk, such as thick handwriting or a thick piece of material.
A clean white surface displaying two parallel black lines: one extremely thin line and one extremely thick line.

Examples

El artista dibujó líneas gordas con carboncillo.

The artist drew thick lines with charcoal.

Tienes una letra muy gorda, casi no cabe en el papel.

You have very thick (large) handwriting; it barely fits on the paper.

Ganó una gorda suma de dinero en la lotería.

She won a huge sum of money in the lottery.

Figurative Use

When used figuratively, 'gorda' means something is substantial or dense, like a thick coat of paint or a very large amount of something non-physical.

Fog vs. Handwriting

The most common mistake is using 'cerrada' for physical thickness like handwriting or layers. Remember, 'cerrada' primarily describes density that obscures vision (like fog), while 'gorda' refers to physical bulk or width.

Related Translations

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