Here we go: two more similar-looking Spanish words with different uses are laying siege to our attention. So let’s get up close and personal with cerco and cerca.
Starting with cerco (masculine) you can listen to how it’s pronounced here:
Cerco comes from the same root as ‘circle’, so isn’t surprising that its senses tend to involve things that encircle or surround.
A common meaning of un cerco is an operation in which an army or other armed group surrounds a place so as to force the occupants to (eventually) come out and give up control of it – a siege:
el cerco de Leningrado
the siege of Leningrad
Todos los intentos de romper el cerco fracasaron.
All attempts to break the siege failed.
El 24 de diciembre se logró levantar el cerco.
On 24th September the siege was successfully lifted.
Un cerco can also be a barrier erected around a building or area to separate it off – a fence (or sometimes a hedge or wall in context):
el cerco perimetral del aeropuerto
the airport’s perimeter fence
Es una especie multipropósito, ya que es comestible, ornamental y para cercos vivos.
It’s a multipurpose species, as it’s edible, ornamental and used for hedges.
el cerco de ladrillo del cementerio
the brick wall of the cemetery
Tiene un cerco de piedra alrededor.
It has a stone wall around it.
In keeping with its Latin roots, un cerco can also be a circle (or something similar, such as a ring, hoop, rim or even halo):
Fija la mirada en el renegrido cerco de una vieja mancha de café.
She gazes at the dark ring of an old coffee stain.
Una vez hemos acabado con los cercos y manchas más recalcitrantes…
Once we’ve dealt with the most stubborn rings and stains…
Las ruedas con llantas consisten en un cuerpo de rueda central y un cerco metálico que lo encierra.
Wheels with tyres have a central wheel hub with a metal ring around it.
Dejaron crecer sus melenas afro como cercos de luz que rodean la cabeza.
They let their Afros grow like halos around their heads.
Moving on to cerca, you can listen to its pronunciation here:
Like the masculine, una cerca (feminine noun) can also be a fence around something (or sometimes a hedge or wall depending on the context):
Intentaron saltar la cerca.
They tried to jump over the fence.
la cerca de alambre de púas que perimetra la propiedad
the barbed-wire fence surrounding the property
Se cultiva como cerca viva para delimitar terrenos o mantener al ganado.
It’s grown as a hedge to mark boundaries or keep in cattle.
Del antiguo convento persiste solo la iglesia y parte de la cerca de piedra.
All that’s left of the former convent is the church and part of the wall round it.
But cerca isn’t just a noun: cerca is used as an adverb to tell us that something isn’t far away or far off, that it’s close by or near (in space or time):
Vivían cerca.
They lived nearby or close by.
El pueblo moderno se encuentra cerca.
The modern town is nearby or close by.
Mi tienda está por aquí cerca.
My shop is near here.
Siempre quiere tener cerca a sus seres queridos.
He always wants to have his loved ones near him or close by.
La tormenta estaba cerca.
The storm was near or close.
La guerra total parecía estar muy cerca.
Full-on or outright war seemed very near or close, Full-on or outright war didn’t seem far off or far away.
If you do something de cerca, you do it from close by or nearby (or words to that effect) :
los personajes observados de cerca
people seen up close or at close quarters
En sus viajes a Francia conoció de cerca al artista Henri Matisse.
During his trips to France he got to know the artist Henri Matisse personally or in person.
Él seguía muy de cerca los problemas de la hostelería.
He followed the problems in the hospitality sector very closely.
Cerca combines with de to form a preposition indicating that something is close to or near something else (in place or time):
en un hotel cerca de la estación de tren
in a hotel close to or near the railway station
La ruta pasa cerca del castillo.
The route passes close to or near the castle.
En la actualidad está muy cerca de la extinción.
It’s currently very close to or near extinction.
Vuelve cerca de la final de la película.
He returns near the end of the film.
Cerca de is also used with numbers to mean almost or nearly:
Cerca del 80 % de la población es de religión católica.
Nearly 80% of the population are Catholic.
Cerca de 150 personas resultaron heridas en el atentado terrorista.
Just under or Close on 150 people were injured in the terrorist attack.
To join us again as we home in on the different uses of some more similar-looking Spanish words, come back next week.
