la rivalidad a veces es sana.
Rivalry is sometimes healthy.
On a walk through the woods, a whole situation is called good for you. Sano isn't only for people, and with rivalidad, a feminine noun, it becomes sana.
From Sonic 3 · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "healthy" in Spanish
sano
adjectivefeminine: sanaplural: sanos
"Healthy" in Spanish is sano, or sana for feminine nouns: un hombre sano, una vida sana. For food and habits you'll also hear saludable, which has one form for both genders. The noun health is la salud.
Hear "sano" in a real movie scene
Here it describes a situation, not a person. The video starts and stops on that line.
Useful phrases with sano
Five phrases about eating well and feeling well.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| una vida sana | a healthy life |
| comida sana, comida saludable | healthy food |
| comer sano | to eat healthy |
| estar sano | to be in good health |
| sano y salvo | safe and sound |
Tip: Raise a glass and say ¡Salud!, literally "health", the Spanish way to say cheers.
Grammar: sano, sana
Four things to know before you describe someone's habits.
Four endings
sano, sana, sanos, sanas. Match the noun: un hombre sano, dos niñas sanas.Persona takes sana
una persona sana is correct even about a man. The adjective agrees with the word persona, which is feminine.Ser sano or estar sano
Es sano is about habits or a way of life: Fumar no es sano. Está sano means someone isn't ill at the moment.Saludable for food
una dieta saludable, un plato saludable. Saludable ends in -e, so it doesn't change for gender.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es una persona muy sana.
She's a very healthy person.
Él es joven, es una persona sana y fuerte.
He's young, a healthy and strong person.
Fumar no es sano.
Smoking isn't healthy.
La rivalidad a veces es sana.
Rivalry is sometimes healthy.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗una persona sano (about a man)
✓una persona sana
Persona is a feminine noun, so the adjective takes -a whoever you describe.
✗Ya es sano (after the flu)
✓Ya está sano
Use estar for how someone is doing right now.
✗Está sano (meaning he isn't crazy)
✓Está cuerdo
Sano is about health. The Spanish word for sane is cuerdo.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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How to remember it
Sano shares a Latin root with English sane and sanitary. Picture a sane, sanitary, sano way of life.
Questions about "healthy" in Spanish
How do you say healthy in Spanish?
Sano, which becomes sana with feminine nouns. For food, people also say saludable.
What's the difference between sano and saludable?
They overlap a lot. Sano is the everyday word for a healthy person, and saludable is common on menus and food labels: una dieta saludable.
How do you say "eat healthy" in Spanish?
Comer sano. In this phrase sano keeps the -o: Quiero comer sano.
How do you say health in Spanish?
La salud. When someone sneezes, people say ¡Salud! too.
