This week we’re looking at the most common uses of Spanish words diestro and diestra.
First of all, diestro (together with its inflected forms diestra, diestros and diestras) is an adjective.
In everyday language, it has two main meanings:
- It is commonly used to talk about someone’s tendency to use their right hand – to say they are right-handed (or even right-footed):
La mayoría de las personas son diestras.
Most people are right-handed.
A diferencia de su padre, que era zurdo, Jaime es diestro.
Unlike his father, who was left-handed, Jaime is right-handed.
los boxeadores diestros
right-handed boxers
- Someone described as diestro in a craft or type of work is skilful or skilled at it. The English adjective dexterous /dextrous comes from the same Latin root.
Era diestra en la realización de retratos.
She was skilful orskilled at doing portraits.
Era diestro como dibujante.
He was skilful orskilled at drawing.
Era muy diestra en las técnicas de la talla en piedra.
She was very skilful or skilled at stone-carving techniques.
Coming from the Latin dexter right, diestro too can mean right (especially in literary language, in set expressions, or talking about coats of arms); however, the everyday word for right is derecho:
Se llevó la mano diestra a la garganta y, mojando sus dedos en la sangre, hizo la cruz con ellos.
He lifted his right hand to his throat and, dipping his fingers in the blood, made the sign of the cross with them.
Un tiro penetró en su mejilla derecha y salió por el lado izquierdo de su cuello.
A shot penetrated his right cheek and came out of the left side of his neck.
As a noun, un diestro and una diestro (note the-o ending in the feminine here) can be a man or a woman who fights bulls in a bullring: a matador or a bullfighter:
el toro que acabó con la vida del diestro Domingo del Campo
the bull which ended the life of matador orbullfighter Domingo del Campo
Particularly in sport, un diestro and una diestra can be a right-handed person –a right-hander:
Es más fácil para un diestro realizar un tiro de este tipo.
It’s easier for a right-hander to pull off a shot of this type.
You may also encounter the feminine noun la diestra meaning the same as la (mano) derecha – along with its opposite, la siniestra, meaning the same as la (mano) izquierda. So your diestra is your right hand, while your siniestra is your left hand. This sense is worth recognizing but probably not reproducing as la derecha and la izquierda are so much more common.
Le ofrecí la diestra con una sonrisa paternal.
I offered her my right hand with a paternal smile.
Al estrecharme la diestra dijo algo que no entendí.
On shaking my right hand, he said something I didn’t understand.
Se sienta ahora a la diestra de Dios.
He now sits at the right hand of God.
For more tips on Spanish usage, come back next week.
