"Beach" in Spanish is la playa, and two or more are las playas. You go a la playa and you lie en la playa. Say the y clearly, because la plaza is a town square.
Written by Isabella García, Language Content Manager at WordyUpdated October 4, 2026
Hear "playa" in real movie scenes
A shout for directions and a question about home. Each video starts and stops on that line.
La playa está por allí.
The beach is over there.
In the middle of an escape there's no time for long directions, so one shout sends everyone toward the water. To say where the beach is, Spanish uses está.
From Star Trek: En la oscuridad · Spanish audio
Oye, Street, vives cerca de la playa, ¿no?
Hey, Street, you live near the beach, right?
Someone who lives by the water must own a surfboard too. Cerca de la playa is the everyday way to say near the beach.
From S.W.A.T. · Spanish audio
Beach phrases you'll use
Six phrases for a day by the sea.
Spanish
English
ir a la playa
to go to the beach
estar en la playa
to be at the beach
cerca de la playa
near the beach
un día de playa
a beach day
la toalla de playa
beach towel
la arena
sand
Tip: Only one sound separates la playa from la plaza, so a quick la playa, por favor in a taxi needs a clear y.
Grammar: la playa, las playas
Four points for talking about the beach.
Feminine, ending in -a
la playa, una playa, las playas. Adjectives end in -a as well: una playa bonita.
Going there or being there
Movement takes a: Voy a la playa. Being there takes en: Estoy en la playa.
Hay or está
Hay una playa tells someone a beach exists. La playa está por allí tells them where that beach is.
The y sound
Most speakers say the y like the y in yes: PLAH-yah. In Argentina and Uruguay you'll often hear PLAH-shah.
Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Hay una playa muy bonita.
There's a very pretty beach.
Estoy en la playa.
I'm at the beach.
Llego a la playa dentro de media hora.
I'll get to the beach in half an hour.
La playa está por allí.
The beach is over there.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la plaza (meaning beach)
✓la playa
A plaza is a town square. The middle sound of playa is a y.
✗Estoy a la playa
✓Estoy en la playa
Once you're on the sand, use en. Save a for going there.
✗La playa es por allí
✓La playa está por allí
Where a place is takes estar, never ser.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 29 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Playa starts with play. The beach is where you play in the sand and the waves.
La playa, said lah PLAH-yah. For more than one beach, say las playas.
How do you say "I'm going to the beach" in Spanish?
Voy a la playa. When you've arrived, switch to Estoy en la playa.
Is playa masculine or feminine?
Feminine: la playa, una playa bonita, las playas.
What's the difference between playa and plaza?
La playa is the beach and la plaza is a town square. The words differ by one sound, y versus z.
Learn "beach" in Spanish from real movie scenes
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