Ajá, un centro comercial.
Uh-huh, a mall.
One roof with shops, a movie theater and cafés underneath: name this place and a long afternoon is coming. The article is un because centro is masculine.
From La tierra perdida · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "mall" in Spanish
el centro comercial
noun phrasemasculineplural: los centros comerciales
"Mall" in Spanish is el centro comercial, word for word a commercial center. It's masculine because of centro: un centro comercial, Vamos al centro comercial. In Chile and some other Latin American countries people also say el mall.
Hear "centro comercial" in a real scene
A place everyone recognizes. The video starts and stops on that line.
Mall words around the Spanish-speaking world
The standard term, two regional ones, and the places you'll find inside.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el centro comercial | mall, shopping center | The standard term, understood everywhere. |
| el mall | mall | Borrowed from English. Common in Chile and some other Latin American countries. |
| la plaza comercial | mall, shopping plaza | Common in Mexico, often shortened to la plaza. |
| la tienda | store, shop | One of the shops inside: una tienda de ropa, a clothing store. |
| el supermercado | supermarket | For groceries. Many people shorten it to el súper. |
Tip: To ask the way in a new city, say ¿Dónde está el centro comercial? It means where is the mall.
Grammar: el centro comercial, los centros comerciales
Four points for a two-word place name.
Centro sets the gender
The first word decides: el centro comercial, un centro comercial nuevo. Adjectives agree with centro.Both words go plural
los centros comerciales. Centro adds -s, and comercial ends in a consonant, so it adds -es.Al and del
a + el becomes al: Vamos al centro comercial. de + el becomes del: la puerta del centro comercial.Hay or está
Hay un centro comercial says one exists. El centro comercial está cerca tells where the one you both know is.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
En mi barrio hay un centro comercial.
There's a mall in my neighborhood.
El centro comercial está cerca del metro.
The mall is near the metro.
Ajá, un centro comercial.
Uh-huh, a mall.
Vamos al centro comercial.
Let's go to the mall.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Voy a el centro comercial
✓Voy al centro comercial
In front of el, the preposition a joins it to make al.
✗el comercial centro
✓el centro comercial
The describing word comes second, the opposite of English shopping center.
✗Voy al centro (meaning the mall)
✓Voy al centro comercial
On its own, el centro is downtown. Keep comercial when you mean the mall.
Real conversation: the new neighborhood
A short dialog in your new apartment on a Sunday morning.
On Sunday morning your brother Iván visits your new apartment for the first time, and he wants to go shopping right away.
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal el barrio nuevo?
Hi! How's the new neighborhood?
Bueno, aquí hay un centro comercial.
Well, there's a mall here.
¡Perfecto! ¿Y hay un banco?
Perfect! And is there a bank?
Your turn to answer Iván
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 32 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Centro comercial sounds like commercial center. Picture a giant TV commercial playing in the middle of the mall.
Questions about "mall" in Spanish
How do you say mall in Spanish?
El centro comercial. In Chile and some other countries people also say el mall, and in Mexico la plaza comercial.
What is the plural of centro comercial?
Los centros comerciales. Both words change: centro takes -s and comercial takes -es.
How do you say "I'm going to the mall" in Spanish?
Voy al centro comercial. Remember that a plus el turns into al.
Does centro mean mall?
Not by itself. El centro is downtown, the center of the city, so add comercial when you mean the mall.
