Por favor, solo cinco minutos.
Please, just five minutes.
In a hallway, someone pushes for time and asks for as little as possible, so it's hard to say no. Solo sits right before the amount.
From The Blacklist · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "only" in Spanish
solo
adverbnever changesalso: solamente
"Only" in Spanish is solo, or the longer solamente. Meaning only, solo never changes: solo un poco, solo cinco minutos. Older texts write it sólo, but the current spelling rules drop the accent.
Hear "solo" in a real scene
A request kept as small as possible. The video starts and stops on that line.
Only, the only one, alone
English uses one word. Spanish picks a different one for each job.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| solo | only, just | Solo un café, por favor. Just a coffee, please. |
| solamente | only | Solamente los lunes. Only on Mondays. |
| único, única | only (the only one) | Es mi único hermano. He's my only brother. |
| hijo único, hija única | only child | Soy hija única. I'm an only child. |
| solo, sola | alone | Vivo sola. I live alone. |
| no... más que | nothing but, only | No tengo más que cinco euros. I only have five euros. |
Tip: Musicians say it too: un solo de guitarra is a guitar solo.
Grammar: solo, solamente, único
Four points that keep only from getting mixed up with alone.
One form only
Meaning only, solo doesn't agree with anything: solo una vez, solo dos personas, solo ellas.Right before the limit
Put solo in front of the part it restricts: solo el mercado, solo aquí, solo tú y yo.Only or alone
As an adjective, solo means alone and agrees: Estoy sola. Viven solos. The meaning only always stays solo.The only one
Before a noun, "the only" is único or única: la única persona, mi único día libre.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Solo digo eso.
I'm just saying.
Solo un poco.
Just a little.
Solo tengo un poco de fiebre.
I only have a slight fever.
No, solo tú y yo.
No, just you and me.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Sola quiero el vino (a woman speaking)
✓Solo quiero el vino
When it means only, solo keeps the -o no matter who is talking.
✗Es mi solo hermano
✓Es mi único hermano
For the only one of something, Spanish uses único in front of the noun.
✗sólo (current spelling)
✓solo
The written accent is no longer required. One spelling now covers only and alone.
Real conversation: one day in the city
A short dialog about today's plans. Tap to listen.
Your friend Isabela is planning the day and wants to see the whole city before tonight.
¿Toda la ciudad hoy?
The whole city today?
No, solo el mercado.
No, just the market.
Oye, ¿y la plaza? Está cerca.
Hey, what about the square? It's close.
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 28 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Solo works like a musical solo: one performer and nobody else, so only that one.
Questions about "only" in Spanish
How do you say only in Spanish?
Solo or solamente: Solo un poco. For "the only one", use el único or la única.
Does solo have an accent in Spanish?
Not in current spelling. Older books write sólo for only, but today solo covers only and alone.
What's the difference between solo and solamente?
They mean the same and fit in the same places: solo aquí, solamente aquí. Solamente is just longer.
How do you say "only child" in Spanish?
Hijo único for a boy and hija única for a girl.
