Sometimes potentially confusable Spanish nouns seem intent on scrambling heads or causing a riot. To find out if that’s the case with revuelta and revuelto, read on.
First let’s listen to how they are pronounced.
revuelta:
revuelto:
Una revuelta (feminine) is a violent social protest, especially against an authority, whether on a small, local scale or on a much bigger one. Its English equivalent depends on the context. If it’s a large-scale political action designed to overturn the government or system, it might be an uprising. If it’s a sudden action against an authority or a government, it could be a revolt. If it’s a localized spontaneous disturbance, it may be a riot.
Intentó justificar la revuelta contra la monarquía como una lucha contra la tiranía.
He tried to justify the uprising against the monarchy as a fight against tyranny.
Tuvo que lidiar con una revuelta sindical y una huelga.
She had to take on a union uprising and a strike.
La mayoría de los participantes de la revuelta fueron enviados al frente.
Most of those who took part in the revolt were sent to the front.
La subida del precio del arroz provocó revueltas y manifestaciones en todo el país.
The increase in the price of rice caused riots and demonstrations all over the country.
Una revuelta is also what happens when two heated, angry parties come up against each other – a clash:
La manifestación condujo a una revuelta entre los manifestantes pro aborto y los contramanifestantes anti aborto.
The demonstration led to a clash between the pro-abortion demonstrators and the anti-abortion counterdemonstrators.
On a river or road, una revuelta is where there is a change in direction –a turn or bend:
las suaves revueltas del camino
the gentle twists and turns of the path
Turning to the masculine, un revuelto is a dish of scrambled eggs mixed with some other ingredients:
Este plato consiste en un revuelto de huevo elaborado con calabacín, cebolla y, de vez en cuando, patata.
This dish consists of scrambled egg mixed with courgettes or zucchini, onion and, sometimes, potato.
Revuelto (together with the inflected forms revuelta, revueltos and revueltas) is also an adjective. We’ll look at some of its commonest senses here.
Revuelto is used to describe eggs that have been cooked and stirred with fat and perhaps other ingredients – scrambled:
Se acompaña de otros ingredientes como arroz, huevo revuelto, patatas… It’s served with other ingredients such as rice, scrambled egg, potatoes…
Revuelto may describe the sort of sea you wouldn’t want to sail on if you were a poor sailor– a rough one:
El mar, azotado por fuertes vientos, estaba revuelto.
The sea, whipped by strong winds, was rough.
If you have el estómago revuelto, you’re feeling queasy, nauseous and perhaps loose-bowelled, since you have an upset stomach or a stomach upset:
Me duele la cabeza y tengo el estómago revuelto.
I have a headache and an upset stomach.
Revuelto may also describe something that is untidy and in disarray – in a mess:
No se ha afeitado en un par de días y tiene el pelo revuelto.
He hasn’t shaved for a couple of days and his hair’s untidy or in a mess.
La habitación estaba revuelta, pero al parecer los agresores no se habían llevado nada de valor.
The room was in a mess, but seemingly the criminals hadn’t taken anything of value.
Revuelto describes things that are mixed up and confusing too:
Subvierte las convenciones de la narrativa con una cronología revuelta.
It subverts narrative conventions with a mixed-up chronology.
Hoy es un día de emociones revueltas.
Today is a day of mixed emotions.
QUIZ TIME
Given that vuelto is the past participle of Spanish verb volver, you won’t be surprised that revuelto is also the past participle of revolver. So what does revolver mean? See if you can work out the meaning of the following examples.
- Continúe cocinando la polenta, siempre revolviendo.
Go on cooking the polenta, ………………… all the time. - Otros han muerto o prefieren no revolver el pasado.
Others have died or prefer not to ………………… the past. - Cuando pienso en el ataque se me revuelve el estómago.
When I think about the attack my stomach………………… . - una anciana revolviendo la basura en busca de algo de valor
an old lady ………………… the rubbish in search of something of value - Se alimentan de grano, hojas e invertebrados que encuentran revolviendo la tierra.
They feed on seeds, leaves and invertebrates that they find by ………………… the earth.
ANSWERS
In the following examples, if you’ve found another expression that means the same, that’s fine too.
- Continúe cocinando la polenta, siempre revolviendo.
Go on cooking the polenta, stirring all the time. - Otros han muerto o prefieren no revolver el pasado.
Others have died or prefer not to stir up or rake up the past. - Cuando pienso en el ataque se me revuelve el estómago.
When I think about the attack my stomach turns over. - una anciana revolviendo la basura en busca de algo de valor
an old lady going through or rummaging in the rubbish in search of something of value - Se alimentan de grano, hojas e invertebrados que encuentran revolviendo la tierra.
They feed on seeds, leaves and invertebrates that they find by turning over the earth.
To get to the bottom of how some more similar-looking Spanish words are used, come back next week.
