How to Say "whole" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “whole” is “todo” — use 'todo' when referring to the entirety of a period of time or when indicating that something applies to everyone or everything.
todo
TOH-dohˈto.ðo
Examples
Pasé todo el día estudiando.
I spent the whole day studying.
Leo todos los días.
I read every day.
Toda la familia fue a la playa.
The whole family went to the beach.
Limpié toda la casa.
I cleaned the whole house.
Matching the Noun
Todo changes to match the thing you're talking about. Use todo for masculine singular things (todo el día), toda for feminine (toda la noche), todos for masculine plural (todos los libros), and todas for feminine plural (todas las mesas).
The 'the' Rule
Unlike in English, you almost always need to put 'the' (el, la, los, las) or a possessive (mi, tu) between todo and the noun. Think of it as 'all of the...'
Forgetting 'the'
Mistake: “Hablo con mis amigos todos días.”
Correction: Hablo con mis amigos todos `los` días. Remember to include `los` (or `el`, `la`, `las`) after `todos` when it's followed by a noun.
entero
en-TEH-rohenˈteɾo
Examples
Nos comimos el pastel entero.
We ate the whole cake.
Comimos la pizza entera entre dos personas.
We ate the whole pizza between two people.
Necesito el informe entero para mañana.
I need the entire report by tomorrow.
El equipo se mantuvo entero a pesar de la derrota.
The team remained unified (or 'whole') despite the defeat.
Gender and Number Agreement
As an adjective, 'entero' must change its ending to match the noun it describes: 'el libro entero' (the whole book, masculine singular) vs. 'las ideas enteras' (the entire ideas, feminine plural).
completa
kom-PLEH-tah[komˈple.ta]
Examples
La colección está completa.
The collection is complete.
La información que diste es completamente completa.
The information you gave is completely complete.
Necesito la lista de compras completa antes de salir.
I need the full shopping list before leaving.
La luna llena está hermosa y completa esta noche.
The full moon is beautiful and whole tonight.
Matching the Noun
Since 'completa' is feminine, you only use it when describing feminine things, like 'la casa' (the house) or 'la historia' (the story). For masculine things, you must use 'completo'.
Using the wrong gender
Mistake: “El tarea está completa.”
Correction: La tarea está completa. (Because 'tarea' is feminine, the adjective must match.)
total
toh-TAHLtoˈtal
Examples
El total de los gastos fue de 100 euros.
The total of the expenses was 100 euros.
¿Cuál es el total de la cuenta, por favor?
What is the total amount of the bill, please?
Necesitamos alcanzar un total de 100 puntos para ganar.
We need to reach a total of 100 points to win.
Hemos reunido el total requerido.
We have gathered the required total.
Always Masculine
When 'total' is used as a noun meaning 'the sum' or 'the whole amount,' it is always masculine: 'el total'.
sana
SAH-nahˈsa.na
Examples
Espero que la manzana esté sana.
I hope the apple is whole.
La fruta que compraste está sana y fresca.
The fruit you bought is whole and fresh.
Mi abuela sigue sana a los 90 años.
My grandmother is still healthy at 90 years old.
Necesitas una dieta sana para tener energía.
You need a healthy diet to have energy.
Feminine Form
As an adjective, 'sana' is the feminine form. Always make sure the ending matches the thing you are describing: 'una persona sana' (a healthy person), but 'un cuerpo sano' (a healthy body).
Using the wrong gender
Mistake: “El agua está sana. (Water is healthy.)”
Correction: El agua está sana. (This is a trick! Even though 'agua' starts with 'a,' it is a masculine noun, but you still use 'sana' because of the way the words flow together, but generally, use 'sano' for masculine words.)
Todo vs. Entero
Related Translations
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