L is the twelfth letter of the alphabet and the ninth consonant. It is a very frequent letter in the Spanish language, appearing before and after all the vowels as well as certain consonants.
Hay poca luz en esta habitación.
There is little light in this room.Viven en una hermosa cabaña junto al lago.
They live in a beautiful cabin by the lake.
The letter L may appear in initial, middle, or final position in the word:
- Words starting with L: limón (lemon), lujo (luxury), laguna (pond).
- Words with L in them: altura (height), helado (ice cream), pelota (ball).
- Words ending in L: sol (sun), azul (blue), miel (honey).
Pronunciation tip: The Spanish /l/ sound is articulated with the tip of the tongue at the alveolar ridge (the upper part of the front teeth), the body of the tongue at a relatively low position, leaving space for airflow. Unlike its English counterpart, which is a “dark” velar sound (the tongue is at a high position against the soft palate and palate with one side of the tongue pushing towards the side teeth), the Spanish /l/ is a “clear” sound:
Important: The Spanish letter L may be followed by another L, forming a digraph, that is, two letters representing one phoneme or sound. Double L (ll) may be pronounced as the letter y or i, depending on the country or region:
Fun fact: LL was a letter of the Spanish alphabet, until 2010, when the Real Academia Española excluded it from the alphabet.
- See also: Spanish alphabet
Spanish nouns that start with L
| lápiz pencil | Londres London | logro achievement |
| libro book | latido heartbeat | lucha fight |
| letra letter, handwriting, lyrics | lana wool | labio lip |
| lugar place | líquido liquid | lágrima tear |
| luna moon | lámpara lamp | ladrón thief |
| luz light | lista list | lavadora washing machine |
| lata can | lapicera pen | lección lesson |
| lluvia rain | lunar mole | lanza spear |
| linterna flashlight | libertad freedom | laberinto maze |
| llave key | leña firewood | ladrillo brick |
Animals starting with L: león (lion), lobo (wolf), liebre (hare), loro (parrot), lechuza (owl), leopardo (leopard), luciérnaga (lightning bug), lince (lynx), lagartija (wall lizard).
Foods starting with L: limón (lemon), lima (lime), lechuga (lettuce), lentejas (lentils), leche (milk), langosta (lobster), langostino (prawn), lomo (sirloin).
Jobs starting with L: lingüista (linguist), librero (bookseller), locutor (announcer), legislador (legislator), leñador (lumberjack), lutier (luthier).
Names starting with L: Liliana, Laura, Luciana, Lola, Leandro, Lucas, Luis, Leonardo.
Juana tiene un lunar en la mejilla.
Juana has a mole on her cheek.¿Cuántas latas de atún quedan?
How many cans of tuna are left?Nuestra casa está construida con madera y ladrillos.
Our house is built with wood and bricks.Valoro la libertad por sobre todas las cosas.
I value freedom above all else.
- See also: Spanish nouns
Spanish adjectives that start with L
| lindo nice, beautiful | lujoso luxurious | lógico logical |
| limpio clean | latino Latin | liso smooth |
| largo long | luminoso bright, light | lúdico playful |
| lento slow | lleno full | letal lethal |
| lejano far | local local | lucrativo profitable |
| liviano light | lacio straight (hair) | limítrofe bordering |
| lluvioso rainy | lamentable terrible | legible legible |
| libre free | legal legal | loable praiseworthy |
| loco crazy | llamativo striking | lícito lawful |
| lila lilac | lustroso shiny | lúgubre gloomy |
El barrio latino es uno de los más visitados de París.
The Latin Quarter is one of the most visited neighborhoods in Paris.La niña tiene el cabello lacio y rubio.
The girl has straight, blond hair.Mi novio ama los días lluviosos.
My boyfriend loves rainy days.El hotel estaba lleno, entonces tuvimos que ir a otro.
The hotel was full, so we had to go to another one.
Adjectives starting with L to describe a person
| leal loyal | liberal broad-minded | lento slow |
| listo smart | lindo pretty, beautiful | latoso exasperating |
| laborioso hardworking | longevo long-lived | lujurioso lustful |
| leído well-read | lozano looking healthy | libertino dissolute |
| locuaz talkative | lacónico laconic | lascivo lecherous |
Martha es la amiga más leal que alguien pueda tener.
Martha is the most loyal friend someone could have.El nuevo empleado es listo y laborioso.
The new employee is smart and hardworking.
- See also: Spanish adjectives
Spanish verbs that start with L
| leer to read | llenar to fill (up) | limar to file, polish |
| lavar to wash | ladrar to bark | liderar to lead |
| limpiar to clean | llorar to cry | lustrar to shine, polish |
| llevar to take | levantarse to get up, stand up | lamentar to regret |
| levantar to lift, raise | lucir to wear, look | lagrimear to tear up, sob |
| llamar to call | lamer to lick | limitar to restrict |
| llegar to arrive | lograr to achieve | lijar to sand |
| llover to rain | lanzar to throw | lidiar to battle, deal with |
| lastimar to hurt | liberar to free | latir to beat |
| luchar to fight | licuar to blend | lindar to border, adjoin |
Realmente lamento lo ocurrido.
I am truly sorry about what happened.¿Puedes llenar el tanque, por favor?
Can you fill up the tank, please?Mamá se lastimó la mano haciendo jardinería.
Mom hurt his hand while gardening.Levanten la mano los que aman el fútbol.
Raise your hand those who love soccer.
- See also: Spanish verbs
Spanish adverbs that start with L
| lamentablemente unfortunately | locamente madly | liberalmente liberally |
| lentamente slowly | legalmente legally | lingüísticamente linguistically |
| lógicamente logically | lealmente loyally | lozanamente radiantly |
| literalmente literally | laboralmente in terms of work | loablemente laudably |
| lujosamente luxuriously | livianamente lightly | luminosamente brightly |
| libremente freely | levemente slightly | lánguidamente languidly |
| localmente locally | lejanamente remotely | limitadamente limitedly |
| ligeramente slightly | lícitamente lawfully | lúcidamente lucidly |
| llanamente plainly | limpiamente cleanly, fairly | lindamente beautifully |
| largamente at length | lúgubremente gloomily | lisamente plainly |
Lamentablemente, el evento ha sido postergado debido al mal tiempo.
Unfortunately, the event has been postponed due to bad weather.Ya hemos discutido esto largamente.
We have already discussed this at length.Es evidente que están locamente enamorados.
It's evident they are madly in love.El cuadro está ligeramente torcido.
The painting is slightly crooked.
- See also: Spanish adverbs
More everyday Spanish words that start with L
Some more everyday Spanish words and expressions that start with L include:
la, las
the (feminine singular and plural articles)
los
the (masculine plural article)
lo
him
Lisboa
Lisbon
La Habana
Havana
la Luna
the Moon
lenguaje
language
lona
canvas
La secuela de esta novela no fue buena.
The sequel to this novel was not good.
Lisboa es la capital de Portugal.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal.
La Enciclopedia del Lenguaje es la más confiable y completa.
The Encyclopedia of the Spanish Language is the most reliable and comprehensive.
A Pedro lo vi muy demacrado.
Pedro looked very emaciated to me.
You may also like:
Practice: Spanish words with L
References
- Wordreference.com, “demacrado,” accessed November 6, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed November 6, 2024, under “lucidly,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española, under “loable,” accessed November 6, 2024, https://dle.rae.es/
- Enciclopedia del Lenguaje, “Palabras con L,” by Carla Giani. Last updated October 25, 2024, https://lenguaje.com/
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