¿No es el Panteón una iglesia?
Isn't the Pantheon a church?
Rome has a giant domed building on almost every corner, and when one has a cross on top, Spanish calls it una iglesia.
From Ángeles y demonios · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "church" in Spanish
la iglesia
nounfeminineplural: las iglesias
"Church" in Spanish is la iglesia, a feminine noun said ee-GLEH-syah. Where English says "go to church", Spanish keeps the article: Voy a la iglesia. For a house of worship of any religion, the general word is el templo.
Hear "iglesia" in real movie scenes
A question in Rome and an answer about Baltimore. Each video starts and stops on that line.
En una iglesia en Baltimore.
In a church in Baltimore.
A church is the spot in town anyone can find, so a whole story can start there, and en una iglesia tells you where.
From The Blacklist · Spanish audio
Iglesia, catedral, capilla or templo?
Four buildings and one institution. Pick the word by size and religion.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| la iglesia | church | The everyday word for a Christian church building. |
| la Iglesia | the Church | With a capital I it means the institution: la Iglesia católica. |
| la catedral | cathedral | The main church of a diocese, often the largest church in the city. |
| la capilla | chapel | A small church, or a prayer room inside a hospital, school or palace. |
| el templo | temple, house of worship | The general word for any religion. It's masculine, unlike iglesia. |
Tip: A church wedding is casarse por la iglesia, and a civil one at the town hall is casarse por lo civil.
Grammar: la iglesia, las iglesias
Four points for talking about churches and where they are.
It's feminine
la iglesia, una iglesia, las iglesias. Adjectives take -a: una iglesia antigua, las iglesias románicas.Keep the article
English drops it in "go to church". Spanish doesn't: ir a la iglesia. Only a + el merges into al, so a la stays two words.Hay or está
Hay una iglesia says one exists. La iglesia está cerca says where the one you both know is.A g before l
In iglesia the g keeps its g sound, as in English glee. Only before e or i does g turn into a throaty h, as in gente.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
La iglesia está cerca de la plaza.
The church is near the square.
¿Vas a la iglesia ahora?
Are you going to church now?
¿No es el Panteón una iglesia?
Isn't the Pantheon a church?
Y en la iglesia hay buenas chicas.
And there are nice girls at church.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Voy a iglesia
✓Voy a la iglesia
English says "to church" without an article, but Spanish needs la.
✗La iglesia es cerca de la plaza
✓La iglesia está cerca de la plaza
For where a building is, use estar, never ser.
✗la iglésia
✓la iglesia
No written accent. The stress lands on GLE by the normal rules.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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How to remember it
Iglesia and English ecclesiastical share a Greek root that meant an assembly. Say them side by side: the -cles- of ecclesiastical became the -gles- of iglesia.
Questions about "church" in Spanish
How do you say church in Spanish?
La iglesia, pronounced ee-GLEH-syah. More than one church is las iglesias.
How do you say "go to church" in Spanish?
Ir a la iglesia, with the article: Los domingos voy a la iglesia.
Is iglesia masculine or feminine?
Feminine. Say la iglesia, and match the adjective: una iglesia pequeña.
What's the difference between iglesia and templo?
Iglesia is a Christian church. El templo is the wider word for a house of worship of any religion, and for ancient temples too.
