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"Rico" is an adjective which is often translated as "rich", and "a" is a preposition which is often translated as "to". Learn more about the difference between "rico" and "a" below.
rico(
rree
-
koh
)
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
adjective
a. rich
Su sueño era hacerse rico y viajar por el mundo.Her dream was to become rich and travel the world.
a. delicious
¡Qué rico está este pastel de zanahoria!This carrot cake is so delicious!
b. tasty
Se me antoja algo rico, pero no sé qué quiero.I'm craving something tasty, but I don't know what I want.
c. yummy
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
(colloquial)
¡El pastel que hiciste te quedó bien rico!The cake you made turned out really yummy!
a. rich
El salvado es una fuente rica de fibra.Bran is a rich source of fiber.
4. (lovely)
Regionalism used in Spain
(Spain)
a. cute
¿Has visto lo rico que es el niño de Marga?Have you seen how cute Marga's little boy is?
5. (seductive)
Regionalism used in Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
(Central America)
Regionalism used in Mexico
(Mexico)
a. hot
"Qué rico", dijo Judith cuando comencé a besarle el cuello."That's hot," said Judith when I began kissing her neck.
b. sexy
Qué rico te ves cuando te quitas la camisa y limpias la piscina.You look so sexy when you clean the pool with your shirt off.
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).
masculine or feminine noun
a. rich man (masculine)
Gloria siempre soñó con casarse con un rico.Gloria always dreamed of marrying a rich man.
b. rich woman (feminine)
Alberto quiere encontrarse a una rica para no tener que trabajar.Alberto wants to find himself a rich woman so he doesn't have to work.
los ricos
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
plural noun
a. the rich
Este gobierno solo se preocupa por los ricos.This government just looks after the rich.
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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.).
preposition
a. to
Ve a tu habitación.Go to your room.
a. to
A la izquierda puedes ver el parque.To your left you can see the park.
a. at
Saldremos al amanecer.We will leave at dawn.
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
Podía respirar a duras penas.He was hardly able to breathe.
a. to
No te olvides de escribir a tus abuelos.Don't forget to write to your grandparents.
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
¡A fregar los platos!Go do the dishes!
¡A la cama!Off to bed!
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
Me encantaría ganar dinero a espuertas.I would love to earn lots of money.
Llovía a cántaros.It was pouring.
a. to
Vino a saludar.He came to say hello.
a. per
Trabajo ocho horas al día.I work eight hours per day.
A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
feminine noun
a. a
Ese adjetivo debe terminar con una a.That adjective should end in an a.
a. A
El pianista tocó una A.The pianist played an A.
An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or group of words (e.g., "UFO" = "unidentified flying object"; "p." = "page").
abbreviation
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.
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