Shapes in Spanish

Geometric Shapes / Figuras geométricas

Although you may not believe it, it will actually be very helpful for you to know the names of certain shapes in Spanish. We are not suggesting that you have to prove your geometrical knowledge in a language class, but it is likely that, at a certain moment, you will have to give a precise description for some kind of object – and in fact, while you are still building up your vocabulary, you might want to use words that describe shape in order to get around the fact that you do not know the right word for something, so that you can get the person you are talking to to understand what you mean in another way.

For example, you might want to ask someone to pass you a plate when you are eating in a tapas restaurant – but instead of the circular one which is closer to you, you are asking for the square one just a little way beyond it. This is just a random example of a time in which it make sense to use shape to describe an object, but there are sure to be many others; if you lose an item of your personal belongings while you are at the school, for another example, you might want to describe it as clearly as possible to the tutor or other staff member who is helping you to try and find it, so that you know that everything is being done to look for it that can be possible. On the other hand, there might be other ways to use the words, and you can perhaps think of some for yourself. Some shapes are used quite often, for example the shape of a star – which is of course named after the objects in the sky that resemble it, and which you might describe in all kinds of situations.

Some of these words can have other meanings which make sense thanks to their shape, too. For example, how would you define what dice are in Spanish without using the word “cubo”? Do you know that in some places ice cream cones are also known as “conos”? Or did you know that, in some Spanish towns, there are mysterious churches which are hexagonal in shape? Knowing some basic geometric shapes in Spanish will also be of great help to you in a lot of situations. You will certainly see some of these terms at least used in everyday life and conversation, and when it comes to those which are perhaps a bit less common, it remains to be said that without a knowledge of how to say them – which all young Spanish children will learn at school early on – you will not really be able to consider yourself as a fluent speaker.