¿Quieres un poco de agua?
Do you want some water?
Sitting on the couch, one person looks after the other with this question, the plainest way to offer a drink in Spanish.
From Friends · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "water" in Spanish
el agua
nounfeminine, but el aguaplural: las aguas
"Water" in Spanish is el agua. The word is feminine, but it takes el in the singular because it starts with a stressed a. Adjectives stay feminine, so cold water is el agua fría, and the plural is las aguas.
Hear "agua" in real scenes
An offer on the couch and trouble at the pool. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Oh, por Dios, el agua.
Oh, my God, the water.
Sitting at the edge of the pool, he notices something is wrong with the water, and you can hear el before a feminine noun.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Ordering water
Six phrases for a café, a restaurant or a hot day.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| un vaso de agua | a glass of water |
| una botella de agua | a bottle of water |
| agua con gas | sparkling water |
| agua sin gas | still water |
| agua del grifo | tap water (Spain) |
| agua fría | cold water |
Tip: If you order water in a restaurant, be ready for ¿Con gas o sin gas?, which asks sparkling or still.
Grammar: el agua, las aguas
One odd rule, and three points that follow from it.
Feminine, but el
A feminine noun that starts with a stressed a takes el and un in the singular: el agua, un agua. In the plural it's las aguas.Adjectives stay feminine
el agua fría, El agua está fría. Only the article switches, and the adjective keeps its -a.Other little words stay feminine
The switch covers el and un only. Say esta agua, mucha agua and toda el agua.Some water
Use un poco de agua or no article at all: ¿Tienes agua? asks if someone has any water.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
El agua está en la mesa.
The water is on the table.
No hay agua.
There's no water.
¿Tienes agua?
Do you have any water?
Voy por un vaso de agua.
I'm going to get a glass of water.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la agua
✓el agua
Before a stressed a sound, la turns into el. The noun is still feminine.
✗el agua frío
✓el agua fría
The article looks masculine, but the adjective has to agree with a feminine noun.
✗este agua
✓esta agua
Este, mucho and todo don't follow the el rule. Use their feminine forms.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 26 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Agua comes from the same Latin word as aquarium. Picture a fish tank and the agua inside it.
Questions about "water" in Spanish
How do you say water in Spanish?
El agua, pronounced AH-gwah. It's a feminine noun that takes el in the singular.
Why is it el agua and not la agua?
Spanish uses el before feminine nouns that start with a stressed a sound, as in el aula and el hambre. The noun stays feminine, so you still say el agua fría.
Is agua masculine or feminine?
Feminine. Only the singular article looks masculine. Adjectives stay feminine, and the plural is las aguas.
How do you say sparkling water in Spanish?
Agua con gas. Still water is agua sin gas.
