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Spanish · Vocabulary · B1 to C1

Science in Spanish: la biología, el experimento, and how to read numbers aloud

Science words are built from Greek and Latin roots · pick one

Short answer: most Spanish science words are close to English because both borrowed them from Greek and Latin: la biología, el átomo, la hipótesis. Watch the endings: -logy becomes -logía, -ist becomes -ista or -ico. Science writing prefers se constructions: se midió la temperatura (“the temperature was measured”). Numbers are read with coma for the decimal point in Spain (3,5 = tres coma cinco) and punto in Mexico.

Sciences and the people who practise them

La física and el físico

For several sciences the word for the subject and the word for the scientist are the same: la física is physics, and also a female physicist. The article (el, la) and the context tell you which.

The scienceThe scientist (m / f)Adjective
la física physicsFEE-see-kahel físico / la físicafísico
la química chemistryKEE-mee-kahel químico / la químicaquímico
la biología biologybee-oh-loh-HEE-ahel biólogo / la biólogabiológico
las matemáticas mathsmah-teh-MAH-tee-kahsel matemático / la matemáticamatemático
la medicina medicinemeh-dee-THEE-nahel médico / la médicamédico
la astronomía astronomyas-troh-noh-MEE-ahel astrónomo / la astrónomaastronómico
la geología geologyheh-oh-loh-HEE-ahel geólogo / la geólogageológico
The scientific method, and how a lab report says it

Observar, medir, analizar, concluir

In a report, Spanish avoids “I” and “we”. It uses the passive se: se + a verb in the third person, agreeing with the thing acted on. It works like the English passive (“was measured”) without naming who did it.

Informe de laboratorio · Materiales y métodos
Se(passive)midiómeasuredla temperaturathe temperaturecadaeveryhora.hour
seh mee-DYOH lah tem-peh-rah-TOO-rah KAH-dah OH-rah · “The temperature was measured every hour.”Why: se + midió (preterite of medir). Singular verb because la temperatura is singular.
Se(passive)analizaronanalysedciena hundredmuestras.samples
seh ah-nah-lee-THAH-ron THYEN MWES-trahs · “One hundred samples were analysed.”Why: Plural verb (analizaron) because muestras is plural: the verb agrees with the thing.
Los resultadosthe resultsindicanindicatequethatla hipótesisthe hypothesisesiscorrecta.correct
lohs rreh-sool-TAH-dohs een-DEE-kan keh lah ee-POH-teh-sees es koh-RREK-tah · “The results indicate that the hypothesis is correct.”Why: Conclusions often start with los resultados indican / muestran que. Hipótesis is feminine and the same in the plural.
Reading numbers and formulas aloud

Tres coma cinco, diez elevado a seis

SPAINMEXICO 3,51 000 0003.51,000,000 tres coma cincotres punto cincoun millón · space between groups of threeun millón · commas, as in English
Check the country before you read a number. In Spain, a comma marks decimals and a space separates thousands; Mexico and much of Central America follow the English style.
Keep going

Related guides

se + verbPassive and se →Se midió, se analizaron.un millónNumbers →From uno to un millón.C1Advanced reading →An academic text, glossed.el titularMedia vocabulary →Reading the news.