Es alérgica a la luz.
She's allergic to light.
Two doctors argue over a patient who finds sunshine or a bright lamp painful, and la luz covers both.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "light" in Spanish
la luz
nounfeminineplural: las luces
"Light" in Spanish is la luz, a feminine noun: Hay mucha luz en la cocina. The plural is las luces. When light means "not heavy", Spanish switches to ligero, and for a light color it says claro.
Hear "luz" in real movie scenes
One light, then several. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Oye, ¿dónde están las luces de esta cosa?
Hey, where are the lights on this thing?
Driving a sports car at night, Spider-Man can't find how to switch on the lights. With more than one, the z turns into c: luces.
From Spider-Man: De regreso a casa · Spanish audio
Luz, ligero or claro?
English "light" has three jobs. Spanish gives each one its own word.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la luz | light you see, also electricity at home | Se fue la luz. (The power went out.) |
| ligero, ligera | light, not heavy | una maleta ligera (a light suitcase) |
| claro, clara | light, for colors | una camisa azul claro (a light blue shirt) |
| encender la luz | to turn on the light | prender la luz in much of Latin America |
| apagar la luz | to turn off the light | Apaga la luz, por favor. |
| el semáforo | traffic light | El semáforo está en rojo. (The light is red.) |
Tip: In Spain the electricity bill is la factura de la luz, so a complaint about la luz is often a complaint about money.
Grammar: la luz, las luces
Four points, from the article to the spelling.
Feminine without -a
It's la luz and una luz. Adjectives take the feminine form: una luz blanca, la luz natural.z becomes c
Spanish doesn't write z before e, so the plural is las luces. The same happens in la vez, las veces.On and off
encender la luz and apagar la luz. In Spain you'll also hear poner la luz, and in Latin America prender la luz.Not for weight or color
Luz is only a noun. A bag that weighs little is ligera, and a pale color is claro: verde claro.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Hay mucha luz en la cocina.
The kitchen gets a lot of light.
Aquí no hay luz.
There's no light in here.
Pon la luz de nuevo.
Turn the light back on.
Apaga la luz, por favor.
Turn off the light, please.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗el luz
✓la luz
Luz is feminine, even though it doesn't end in -a.
✗las luzes
✓las luces
Before e, the z is written as c.
✗una maleta luz (meaning not heavy)
✓una maleta ligera
Luz can't describe weight. Use the adjective ligero, ligera.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
Free, and you don't need an account.
1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 33 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Luz sounds like loose. Picture a loose bulb that flickers until the room goes dark: ¡No hay luz!
Questions about "light" in Spanish
How do you say light in Spanish?
La luz, and in the plural las luces. For light meaning not heavy, the word is ligero.
How do you say "turn off the light" in Spanish?
Apaga la luz. To turn it on, say Enciende la luz, or Prende la luz in much of Latin America.
Is luz masculine or feminine?
Feminine: la luz, las luces. The ending doesn't tell you, so learn it with the article.
How do you pronounce luz?
LOOS in Latin America and parts of southern Spain. In most of Spain the z sounds like the th in "think": LOOTH.
