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"San" is an adjective which is often translated as "Saint", and "santo" is an adjective which is often translated as "holy". Learn more about the difference between "San" and "santo" below.
San(
sahn
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (religious)
santo, el santo, la santa(
sahn
-
toh
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (sacred)
a. holy
El libro santo de los judíos es la Tora.The holy book of the Jewish people is the Torah.
Dicen que el sótano de la catedral está lleno de reliquias santas.They say that the basement of the cathedral is full of holy relics.
b. saintly
Madre Teresa es una santa inspiración para todos en el mundo.Mother Teresa is a saintly inspiration for everyone in the world.
This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to (e.g., el doctor, la doctora).
2. (religious)
a. saint
Puedes conocer las vidas de los santos en ese libro.You can learn about the lives of the saints in that book.
A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
