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"Broad" is an adjective which is often translated as "ancho", and "narrow" is an adjective which is often translated as "estrecho". Learn more about the difference between "broad" and "narrow" below.
broad(
brad
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (wide)
a. ancho
The fishing boat cast its net over a broad expanse of open sea.El barco de pesca lanzó su red sobre una ancha extensión de mar abierto.
b. extenso
Krakow lies in a broad valley on the banks of the river Vistula.Cracovia se ubica en un valle extenso a la ribera del río Vístula.
c. amplio
The new 12-lane highway is incredibly broad.La nueva carretera de 12 carriles es increíblemente amplia.
d. despejado (forehead)
He was easily recognizable for his broad forefront.Era fácilmente reconocible por su frente despejada.
e. de oreja a oreja (smile)
The boy displayed a broad smile while opening his birthday gifts.El niño mostraba una sonrisa de oreja a oreja mientras abría sus regalos de cumpleaños.
2. (extensive)
a. amplio
He won the election due to the fact that he built a broad coalition of diverse citizens.Ganó las elecciones debido al hecho de que construyó una amplia coalición de ciudadanos diversos.
a. general
Can you summarize the issue in broad terms?¿Puedes resumir el tema en términos generales?
4. (obvious)
a. claro
Every time Sam's mother-in-law visited, she made broad hints about wanting grandchildren.Cada vez que iba de visita la suegra de Sam, hacía indirectas claras acerca de querer nietos.
a. cerrado
Cameron took voice lessons to get rid of her broad accent so she could work on the radio.Cameron tomó cursos de voz para eliminar el acento cerrado para poder trabajar en la radio.
6. (coarse)
a. grosero
The movie was a romantic comedy about a sex therapist. It was full of broad humor.La película fue una comedia romántica sobre una terapeuta sexual. Estaba llena de humor grosero.
b. ordinario
Now that Stefan was in college, he pretended that his uncle's broad jokes offended him.Ahora que Stefan estaba en la universidad, fingía que los chistes ordinarios de su tío le ofendían.
a. abierto
The pronunciation of Irish consonants varies depending on if they are next to a broad or slender vowel.La pronunciación de las consontantes irlandesas varía según si están al lado de una vocal abierta o cerrada.
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
8. (colloquial) (pejorative) (woman) (United States)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
An offensive word or phrase used to degrade a person or group of people based on race, gender, sexual preference, etc. (e.g., redneck).
Regionalism used in the United States
b. la vieja (F) (colloquial) (Latin America)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
I met with that broad twice.Me junté con esa vieja dos veces.
c. la mina (F) (colloquial) (Southern Cone)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
I lost the phone number of the broad I met last night.He perdido el número de teléfono de la mina que conocí anoche.
d. la tía (F) (colloquial) (Spain)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Spain
I didn't know that that broad was your friend.No sabía que esa tía era tu amiga.
broads
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
a. el área de estuarios en Norfolk (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
We had a fun and relaxing day on a boat on the Broads.Pasamos un día divertido y tranquilo en un barco en el área de estuarios en Norfolk.
narrow(
neh
-
ro
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
1. (not wide)
2. (slight)
a. escaso
The jockey won the race by a narrow margin.El jinete ganó la carrera por un escaso margen.
3. (prejudiced)
a. cerrado
My father has a rather narrow attitude when it comes to tattoos.Mi padre tiene una actitud bastante cerrada cuando se trata de los tatuajes.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
b. angostar
The snow had narrowed the road to one lane.La nieve había angostado la carretera a un carril.
c. entrecerrar (eyes)
The boy narrowed his eyes when he saw his sister trying to steal candy from his backpack.El niño entrecerró los ojos al ver que su hermana intentaba robarle dulces de su mochila.
b. limitar
If you narrow the range of products you offer too much, you'll lose your customers.Si limitas demasiado la línea de productos que ofreces, perderás a tus clientes.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. estrecharse
The path starts to narrow here, so step carefully.El camino empieza a estrecharse aquí, así que pisen con cuidado.
b. angostarse
The tunnel seemed to narrow and become crooked.El túnel parecía angostarse y enchuecarse.
a. restringirse
The options open to the unemployed have narrowed considerably.Las posibilidades que tienen los desempleados se han restringido bastante.
b. reducirse
The gap between rich and poor has narrowed.Se ha reducido la brecha entre los ricos y los pobres.
narrows
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
9. (nautical)
a. el estrecho (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Only a skilled sailor can pass through the narrows.Solo un marinero experto puede pasar por el estrecho.
