Spanish word of the week: listo

This week’s Spanish word of the week is listo.

Listo is an adjective that means bright, smart; ready. To hear how listo is pronounced, you can click the icon below:

Getting to know when to use ser and when estar can take a bit of practice. Listo is a good case of the difference your choice can make.

Es un chico muy listo. He’s a very bright boy.
Es la más lista de la clase. She’s the smartest girl in the class.

But when you use it with the verb estar it means ready:

¿Están listos? Are you ready?
Todo está ya listo para la expedición. Everything’s already ready for the expedition.

Used with estar it also has a third meaning, finished:

El trabajo tendrá que estar listo para mañana. The job will have to be finished by tomorrow.

Come back next week to learn a new word!

Other Articles

Spanish words of the week: manzana or manzano?

It’s time to peel the layers off another pair of Spanish nouns which look similar in form but mean different things depending on their ending and gender. This week it’s the turn of feminine manzana and masculine manzano. Read More

Spanish words of the week: clara and claro

Here we take a closer look at another pair of similar-looking Spanish nouns whose meanings differ depending on ending and gender: 'clara' and 'claro'. Read More

Spanish words of the week: seto or seta?

Here we examine a new pair of Spanish nouns whose form is deceptively similar but whose meaning is quite different depending on their ending and gender.  This week’s masculine and feminine pair are 'seto' and 'seta'. Read More