It’s that time of the week when we put the commonest uses of similar-looking Spanish words under the microscope. Today it’s the turn of óptica and óptico.
Starting with óptica (feminine), you can listen to how it’s pronounced here:
La óptica is the branch of science concerned with vision, sight and light – optics:
un libro sobre óptica
a book about optics
Recibió un correo electrónico del Instituto de Óptica.
She received an email from the Institute of Optics.
En los campos de la óptica y navegación, son muy importantes los instrumentos que mejoran la capacidad visual de las personas.
In the fields of optics and navigation, instruments that improve people’s visual capability are really important.
Una óptica is a shop where you can have your eyes tested and be prescribed and buy appropriate glasses and contact lenses – an optician’s in British English or an optical store in American English:
Trabajó tiempo parcial en una óptica.
She worked part time at an optician’s or optical store.
frente a la óptica La Solera
opposite La Solera optician’s or optical store
Una óptica is a woman who supplies and sells (and possibly prescribes too) glasses and contact lenses – an optician:
Mi mujer es óptica.
My wife is an optician.
Óptica is also used figuratively to indicate a particular standpoint, perspective, point of view or viewpoint:
Napoleón observaba a España desde una óptica estrictamente estratégica.
Napoleon observed Spain from a strictly strategic standpoint or perspective or point of view or viewpoint.
un análisis del concepto de familia desde las ópticas social, individual y psicológica
an analysis of the concept of family from social, individual and psychological standpoints or perspectives or points of view or viewpoints
Turning to óptico (masculine) you can hear how it’s pronounced here:
Un óptico is a man who supplies and sells (and possibly prescribes too) glasses and contact lenses – an optician (the male counterpart of una óptica):
Su padre era óptico.
His father was an optician.
un óptico-optometrista
an optometrist
Note that in the plural ópticos just means opticians (of both genders or males only):
Óptico together with its inflected forms óptica, ópticos, ópticas (to agree with the noun described) is also an adjective. It’s used to describe things to do with vision, light, or images. It usually is equivalent to optical in English, though sometimes optic:
Es una ilusión óptica.
It’s an optical illusion.
Fabrican instrumentos ópticos como prismáticos y telescopios.
They make optical instruments such as binoculars and telescopes.
Inventó un tipo diferente de ratón óptico.
He invented a different type of optical mouse.
el nervio óptico
the optic nerve
QUIZ TIME
Do you know or can you work out the meaning of the underlined words in the following?
- A medida que el ojo se mueve, la lente de contacto se mueve con él.
- Bajo el microscopio se nota una separación de las fibras.
- Prácticamente ciego, leía sus novelas con la ayuda de una enorme lupa.
- Estaba vestida con un abrigo de gran tamaño y gafas oscuras para mantener su anonimato.
- Observaciones del telescopio espacial Hubble confirmaron su gran tamaño.
ANSWERS
- A medida que el ojo se mueve, la lente de contacto se mueve con él.
As the eye moves, the contact lens moves with it.
- Bajo el microscopio se nota las fibras.
Under the microscope, you can see the fibres.
- Prácticamente ciego, leía sus novelas con la ayuda de una enorme lupa.
Practically blind, he would read his novels with the aid of an enormous magnifying glass.
- Estaba vestida con un abrigo de gran tamaño y gafas oscuras para mantener su anonimato.
She was wearing an oversized coat and dark glasses to maintain her anonymity.
- Observaciones del telescopio espacial Hubble confirmaron su gran tamaño.
Observations from the Hubble space telescope confirmed its great size.
Join us again next week as we shine a light on the differences between some other similar-looking Spanish words.
