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"Seña" is a form of "seña", a noun which is often translated as "sign". "Santo" is an adjective which is often translated as "holy". Learn more about the difference between "seña" and "santo" below.
la seña(
seh
-
nyah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (gesture)
a. sign
Le hice una seña a mi esposo para irnos de la fiesta.I made a sign to my husband for us to leave the party.
b. signal
El entrenador nos hizo una seña para empezar la carrera.The coach gave us a signal to start the race.
c. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
Mi madre le hizo una seña a mi padre de que se pusiera de pie.My mother signaled to my father to stand up.
Simón hizo una seña a su hija para que abriera la ventana.Simón gestured to his daughter to open the window.
2. (indication)
3. (among hearing-impaired people) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
a. sign
Juan es sordo, por lo que sus papás están aprendiendo lengua de señas.Juan is deaf, so his parents are learning sign language.
a. deposit
Dejamos una seña para apartar el hotel.We put down a deposit to make our hotel reservation.
las señas
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
5. (directions)
a. address
Nos vemos en tu casa entonces. ¿Me puedes dar las señas?See you at your place, then. Can you give me the address?
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).
