Ah, es ruidoso, ¿eh?
Ah, it's loud, huh?
In a place like this the sound is no longer in the background, and you have to shout to be heard. Es ruidoso describes the whole place.
From Cazafantasmas · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "loud" in Spanish
ruidoso
adjectivefeminine: ruidosaplural: ruidososopposite: tranquilo
"Loud" in Spanish is ruidoso when a place, a party or a person makes a lot of noise: El centro es muy ruidoso. For loud music or a loud voice, say fuerte or alto: La música está muy alta. Ruidoso is built on el ruido, noise.
Hear "ruidoso" in real movie scenes
One noisy place and one party that should stay quiet. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Chase no quiere una fiesta ruidosa.
Chase doesn't want a loud party.
Not everyone enjoys a racket, and some people would celebrate even their own big day quietly. Fiesta is feminine, so the adjective turns into ruidosa.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Ruidoso, fuerte, alto: which loud?
Spanish picks the word by what is loud: a place, a sound or the volume.
| Spanish | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ruidoso, ruidosa | a noisy place, party, machine or person | un barrio ruidoso (a loud neighborhood) |
| fuerte | a loud sound or voice | un ruido fuerte (a loud noise) |
| alto, alta | volume, especially music and TV | La tele está muy alta. (The TV is very loud.) |
| en voz alta | out loud | Lee en voz alta. (Read out loud.) |
| hablar más alto | to speak up | ¿Puedes hablar más alto? (Can you speak up?) |
| el ruido | noise, the noun | Hay mucho ruido. (It's very noisy.) |
Tip: To ask someone to turn the music down, say Baja la música, por favor. To turn it up, use sube.
Grammar: ruidoso, ruidosa
Four points for describing noise.
Match the noun
un barrio ruidoso, una calle ruidosa, unos vecinos ruidosos, unas fiestas ruidosas. It usually follows the noun.Ser or estar
El centro es muy ruidoso says how the place usually is. La calle está muy ruidosa hoy says it's noisy right now.The opposite
tranquilo means quiet or calm: ¿Es tranquilo? No, es muy ruidoso.Noise or volume
Ruidoso describes something that makes noise. For how loud a sound is, switch to fuerte or alto: la música muy alta.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
El centro es muy ruidoso.
The city center is very loud.
No, es muy ruidoso. Hay muchos coches.
No, it's very loud. There are lots of cars.
Es un barrio muy ruidoso.
It's a very noisy neighborhood.
La calle es muy ruidosa.
The street is very loud.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗La calle es muy ruidoso
✓La calle es muy ruidosa
Calle is feminine, so the adjective needs the -a ending.
✗La música está muy ruidosa (meaning the volume is high)
✓La música está muy alta
For volume, native speakers say alta or fuerte. Ruidoso fits places and things that make noise.
✗Lee ruidoso (meaning read out loud)
✓Lee en voz alta
Out loud is a set phrase in Spanish: en voz alta, in a high voice.
Real conversation: arriving in a new city
A short chat on the bus into town.
You've just arrived in another city, and on the bus your travel companion Hugo tells you what the center is like.
El centro es muy histórico.
The center is very historic.
¿Es tranquilo?
Is it quiet?
No, es muy ruidoso. Hay muchos coches.
No, it's very loud. There are lots of cars.
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 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 18 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Ruidoso is ruido, noise, plus -oso, the ending you know from famoso. A ruidoso street is full of noise.
Questions about "loud" in Spanish
How do you say loud in Spanish?
Ruidoso for a noisy place or party, and fuerte or alto for loud music or a loud voice.
How do you say "the music is too loud" in Spanish?
La música está demasiado alta. Demasiado fuerte works too.
How do you say "out loud" in Spanish?
En voz alta: Lee la frase en voz alta.
What's the opposite of ruidoso?
Tranquilo, quiet or calm: un barrio tranquilo. For a place with no sound at all, use silencioso.
