We have a little list of similar-looking Spanish words that might easily be confused and whose uses therefore need splitting apart. So are you ready for lista and listo (the next pair on it)?
First of all, let’s listen to how they’re pronounced:
lista:
listo:
Una lista (feminine noun) is a record of named individual things or people on a piece of paper or in a document perhaps to remind you of what to buy, what you’ve packed or who to invite – a list:
Alcanzó el puesto 17 en la lista global.
It reached number 17 on the world list.
En las redes sociales locales circulan listas de consejos.
Lists of tips and advice are doing the rounds on local social media networks.
Se elaboró una lista negra de los escritores cuyas obras no debían estar en las bibliotecas.
A black list of writers whose works were not to be in libraries was drawn up.
Una lista (which can sometimes be a strip of fabric) is also a long narrow strip of contrastive colour particularly on a piece of cloth such as a flag – a stripe:
Sus colores son amarillo, azul y rojo en listas iguales horizontales.
Its colours are yellow, blue and red in equal horizontal stripes.
El pabellón del Estado será blanco con nueve listas de color azul celeste horizontales y alternadas.
The national flag will be white with nine alternating horizontal sky-blue stripes.
Before we jump to other noun uses, let’s look at the use of listo (and its inflected forms lista, listos and listas) as an adjective.
If you are listo for something, you are prepared for it right now; equally, if something is listo, it is now in the right state to be used, enjoyed and so on. So what’s the English equivalent of listo? Ready!
No sé si estoy listo para cambiar.
I don’t know if I’m ready to change.
Aún no estoy lista para hablar de esto.
I’m not yet ready to talk about this.
Los tomates deben estar listos para la cosecha después de aproximadamente 12 semanas durante los meses de verano.
Tomatoes should be ready for harvest after approximately 12 weeks in the summer months.
El estadio tendría que estar listo para la apertura de los juegos.
The stadium would have to be ready orfinished for the opening of the games.
El álbum estará listo cuando esté listo.
The album will be ready when it’s ready.
To say something or someone is ready, use estar with listo. (Estar often indicates a temporary, changeable state.)
In another sense listo means endowed with brains, intelligence, quick thinking – clever orsmart:
Ana es lista y muy estudiosa.
Ana is clever and very studious.
No soy tan listo como tú.
I’m not as clever or smart as you.
Es una chica muy lista.
She’s a very clever girl.
To say someone is clever, use ser with listo. (Ser tends to indicate an inherent quality.)
Returning to the noun, un listo and una lista are respectively masculine and feminine nouns meaning someone clever or smart. The first is of course male and the second female. They’re sometimes used negatively:
Los dos sois unos listos.
You’re a pair of clever clogs.
Usted es un listo que se aprovechó de mí.
You’re a clever so-and-so who took advantage of me.
QUIZ TIME
Add the appropriate form of ser or estar listo/lista/listos/listas in the following.
- Si ………. ……….. puedes hacerte rico. If you’re clever you can get rich.
- Tu comida ………. ………… . Your lunch is ready.
- Solo en el momento en que el avión ………. ……….. para despegar le indicaba al piloto el lugar de destino. Only when the plane was ready for take-off did they tell the pilot the destination.
- Ella ………. demasiado ………. como para caer en su propia trampa. She’s too clever to fall into her own trap.
- Salió a ver si el coche ………. ………… She went out to see if the car was ready.
- Sin embargo, todo parecía ………. ………… However, everything seemed to be ready.
- El aroma que llegaba de la cocina indico que el café ………. ………… The smell wafting from the kitchen indicated that the coffee was ready.
- Los niños ………. mucho más curiosos y mucho más ………. de lo que los adultos piensan. Children are much more curious and much cleverer than adults think.
ANSWERS
- Si eres listo puedes hacerte rico.
- Tu comida está lista.
- Solo en el momento en que el avión estaba listo para despegar le indicaba al piloto el lugar de destino.
- Ella es demasiado lista como para caer en su propia trampa.
- Salió a ver si el coche estaba listo.
- Sin embargo, todo parecía estar listo.
- El aroma que llegaba de la cocina indicó que el café estaba listo.
- Los niños son mucho más curiosos y mucho más listos de lo que los adultos piensan.
If you’ll be ready to explore the differences in usage between another pair of similar-looking Spanish words, come back next week.
