banca

banking

bench

la banca(

bahng

kah

)

A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).

feminine noun

1. (finance)

a. banking (activity)

El Sr. López ha hecho su fortuna trabajando en la banca.Mr. Lopez made his fortune in banking.

b. banks (institutions)

La banca de México se nacionalizó en los años ochenta.Mexico's banks were nationalized in the eighties.

2. (seat)

Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.

(Latin America)

a. bench

Me senté en una banca en el parque mientras mis hijos jugaban con sus amigos.I sat on a bench in the park while my kids played with their friends.

3. (sports)

a. bench

Aunque todo el mundo pensó que jugaría, Javier Hernández se quedó en la banca en la final.Although everyone thought he would be playing, Javier Hernández stayed on the bench in the final.

4. (games and gambling)

a. bank

Después de una larga noche de apuestas, un jugador hizo saltar la banca del casino.After a long night of betting, one player broke the casino bank.

5. (position in parliament)

Regionalism used in the Caribbean: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico

(Caribbean)

(Southern Cone)

a. seat

Julio Gómez se está postulando para una banca en el Senado.Julio Gomez is running for a Senate seat.

A phrase used as a figure of speech or a word that is symbolic in meaning; metaphorical (e.g., carrot, bean).

(figurative)

(power or clout) (Southern Cone)

a. influence

Pérez tiene mucha banca en esa repartición; siempre consigue lo que quiere.Pérez has a lot of influence in this department; he always gets what he wants.

b. pull

A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).

(colloquial)

Si tienes banca con el director, seguro te da los días libres.If you have some pull with the manager, he's sure to give you those days off.

Examples