Es un bolso de marca.
It's a designer bag.
A man in uniform goes through the bag and sees right away it isn't cheap. De marca means made by a known brand.
From Una loca entrevista · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "purse" in Spanish
el bolso
nounmasculineplural: los bolsos
In Spain, "purse" is el bolso, the bag you carry on your shoulder or in your hand. In Mexico people say la bolsa, and in Argentina and Chile la cartera. For a small coin purse, the word is el monedero.
Hear "bolso" in real movie scenes
A bag search and a lost bag. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Tu bolso.
Your purse.
At the door, someone hands back the bag that went missing, and two words are enough for the owner to know it.
Bolso, bolsa or cartera: which one to use?
The word for a purse depends on the country, and some of them mean something else elsewhere.
| Word | Where you'll hear it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el bolso | Spain | The everyday word for a handbag. |
| la bolsa | Mexico and much of Central America | In Spain una bolsa is a shopping bag or a plastic bag. |
| la cartera | Argentina, Chile, Uruguay | In Spain la cartera usually means a wallet. |
| el monedero | Everywhere | A small purse for coins, the British sense of purse. |
| la mochila | Everywhere | A backpack, carried on both shoulders. |
Tip: Wordy teaches el bolso, the word used in Spain. Watch the gender switch: el bolso, but la bolsa.
Grammar: el bolso, los bolsos
Four things to know when you talk about a purse.
Masculine
el bolso, un bolso, plural los bolsos. La bolsa is a separate word with its own meaning.Whose purse
Spanish has no 's. Use de: el bolso de Ana, Ana's purse. With a pronoun: mi bolso, tu bolso.Made of what
Material and brand follow de: un bolso de cuero (a leather purse), un bolso de marca (a designer purse).Paying a compliment
Use gustar: Me gusta tu bolso. For several: Me gustan tus bolsos.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
El bolso es muy caro.
The purse is very expensive.
Es un bolso nuevo.
It's a new purse.
¡Guau! Me gusta tu bolso.
Wow! I like your purse.
Pues no. Es un bolso pequeño.
Well, no. It's a small purse.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la bolso
✓el bolso
Bolso ends in -o and takes el. The article la belongs to bolsa, which is another word.
✗una bolsa (for a handbag in Madrid)
✓un bolso
Spaniards say bolsa for the bag you get at the supermarket.
✗Ana bolso (meaning Ana's purse)
✓el bolso de Ana
Put the owner after de, and keep the article at the front.
Real conversation: a bag for the weekend
A short dialog with a classmate before class. Tap to listen.
Before class, your classmate Paula asks about the bag she packed for a weekend trip.
Perdona, ¿mi bolsa está aquí?
Sorry, is my bag here?
Bueno, ¿es una bolsa grande?
Well, is it a big bag?
Sí, muy grande. Las llaves están dentro.
Yes, very big. The keys are inside.
Your turn to answer Paula
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 34 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Bolso starts with the sound of bowl. Picture a bowl with a strap that you hang on your shoulder and fill with keys and a phone.
Questions about "purse" in Spanish
How do you say purse in Spanish?
In Spain it's el bolso. Mexicans say la bolsa, and in Argentina and Chile it's la cartera.
Is bolso masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el bolso, los bolsos. The feminine la bolsa means a bag, and in Mexico it's also the word for a purse.
How do you say wallet in Spanish?
La cartera or la billetera, depending on the country. A coin purse is el monedero.
