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"Respectivo" is an adjective which is often translated as "respective", and "a" is a preposition which is often translated as "to". Learn more about the difference between "respectivo" and "a" below.
respectivo(
rrehs
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pehk
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tee
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boh
)An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
a. respective
Petra y Manuel eran vecinos y acudieron al primer día de escuela acompañados de sus respectivos padres.Petra and Manuel were neighbors and they went to their first day at school accompanied by their respective parents.
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. (colloquial) (old-fashioned) (spouse) (Spain)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
A word or phrase that is seldom used in contemporary language and is recognized as being from another decade, (e.g., cat, groovy).
Regionalism used in Spain
a. better half
Jiménez y Varela llevaron a sus respectivas al congreso médico.Jimenez and Varela took their better halves to the medical convention.
a, la a(
ah
)A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a noun and another word (e.g., He ran through the door.).
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Podía respirar a duras penas.He was hardly able to breathe.
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
¡A fregar los platos!Go do the dishes!
¡A la cama!Off to bed!
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Me encantaría ganar dinero a espuertas.I would love to earn lots of money.
Llovía a cántaros.It was pouring.
A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or group of words (e.g., "UFO" = "unidentified flying object"; "p." = "page").
a. A
El circuito transporta una corriente de 1 A.The circuit carries a current of 1 A.
La intensidad de la corriente eléctrica se mide en A.The intensity of an electric current is measured in A.
