vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Alma" is a form of "alma", a noun which is often translated as "soul". "Fantasma" is a noun which is often translated as "ghost". Learn more about the difference between "alma" and "fantasma" below.
el alma(
ahl
-
mah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (spirit)
a. soul
Siento en mi propia alma que deberíamos estar juntos.I feel it in my soul that we should be together.
Dicen que los vampiros no tienen alma.They say vampires have no soul.
2. (enthusiasm)
3. (person)
a. soul
Durante un huracán, no hay ni un alma afuera.During a hurricane, there isn't a soul outside.
4. (fun person)
a. life and soul
Carlos siempre es el alma de la fiesta.Carlos is always the life and soul of the party.
el fantasma(
fahn
-
tahs
-
mah
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (apparition)
2. (threat)
a. specter (United States)
Regionalism used in the United States
Los fantasmas de su pasado atormentan su presente.The specters of her past haunt her present.
b. spectre (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
El fantasma de la guerra sigue presente en las calles de la ciudad.The spectre of war is still present in the streets of the city.
3. (television)
a. ghost
Si empiezas a ver fantasmas en la pantalla, mueve un poco la antena.If you start seeing ghosts on the screen, just move the antenna a bit.
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).
4. (colloquial) (boaster) (Spain)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Spain
a. show-off (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
No te creas ni una palabra de lo que dice ese fantasma.Don't believe a word that show-off says.
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
