Préstame tu bolígrafo, Bob.
Lend me your pen, Bob.
Someone asks to borrow the other man's pen with préstame, lend me, and as usual with pens, he never gives it back.
From 48 horas · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "pen" in Spanish
el bolígrafo
nounmasculineplural: los bolígrafosshort form: el boli
"Pen" in Spanish is el bolígrafo, often shortened to el boli in Spain. In Mexico people say la pluma. Stress the syllable with the accent: boh-LEE-grah-foh.
Hear "bolígrafo" in a real movie scene
One scene where someone asks for a pen. The video starts and stops on that line.
Bolígrafo, boli or pluma?
The word for a pen changes from country to country.
| Word | Where you'll hear it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el bolígrafo | Spain, and understood everywhere | The standard word for a ballpoint pen. |
| el boli | Spain, informal | Short for bolígrafo: ¿Me dejas un boli? |
| la pluma | Mexico | In Spain pluma means a fountain pen or a feather. |
| la birome | Argentina, Uruguay | The everyday word there for any ballpoint pen. |
| el lápiz | Everywhere | This one is a pencil. Plural: los lápices. |
Tip: Wordy teaches el bolígrafo, the word used in Spain. If you're in Mexico, ask for una pluma.
Grammar: el bolígrafo, los bolígrafos
Four points for asking for a pen.
It's masculine
el bolígrafo, un bolígrafo, los bolígrafos. The short form is masculine too: el boli.Stress on li
The accent mark shows the stress: boh-LEE-grah-foh. It stays in the plural: bolígrafos.Whose pen? Use de
el bolígrafo de Elena is Elena's pen. Spanish has no 's: Es de Ana. It's Ana's.Asking for one
¿Tienes un bolígrafo? to a friend, ¿Tiene un bolígrafo? to a stranger. To borrow one: ¿Me prestas un bolígrafo?Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
el bolígrafo
the pen
Es el bolígrafo de Elena.
It's Elena's pen.
El bolígrafo, por favor.
The pen, please.
¿Tienes un bolígrafo?
Do you have a pen?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la bolígrafo
✓el bolígrafo
Bolígrafo ends in -o and is masculine.
✗boh-lee-GRAH-foh (pronunciation)
✓boh-LEE-grah-foh
The stress falls on the syllable with the accent mark.
✗el Elena bolígrafo
✓el bolígrafo de Elena
Spanish uses de where English uses 's.
Real conversation: your first day at work
A short dialog at your new desk. Tap to listen.
It's your first day at the office. Your new coworker Diego shows you your desk, and Ana's name is on the notebook and the pen.
¡Hola! ¿Es tu bolígrafo?
Hi! Is this your pen?
No, es de Ana.
No, it's Ana's.
Ah, vale. Toma, un bolígrafo.
Oh, okay. Here, have a pen.
Your turn to answer
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How to remember it
Bolígrafo is built from bola, ball, and -grafo, writer, like the graph in autograph. A ballpoint pen writes with a tiny ball.
Questions about "pen" in Spanish
How do you say pen in Spanish?
El bolígrafo, or el boli in casual Spanish from Spain. In Mexico people say la pluma.
How do you say "Can I borrow a pen?" in Spanish?
¿Me prestas un bolígrafo? to a friend, or ¿Me presta un bolígrafo? to someone you call usted.
Is bolígrafo masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el bolígrafo, los bolígrafos.
How do you say pencil in Spanish?
El lápiz. The plural is los lápices.
