N is the fourteenth letter of the alphabet and the eleventh consonant. It is a very frequent letter in the Spanish language, appearing before and after the five vowels and some consonants.
Mi hermano se compró un automóvil nuevo.
My brother bought a new car.A Gastón le encanta navegar en el río.
Gastón loves to sail on the river.
The letter N may appear in initial, middle, or final position in the word:
- Words starting with N: noche (night), nariz (nose), nunca (never).
- Words with N in them: antes (before), sonrisa (smile), ventana (window).
- Words ending in N: bien (well), pan (bread), quién (who).
Pronunciation tip: The pronunciation of the letter N in Spanish is much like in English, the only difference being that the tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge (upper edge of the front teeth) while in English, the body of the tongue touches the palate, creating an even more nasal sound. Before the letter g, the back of the tongue raises, touching the soft palate and producing a velar sound:
Spelling tips:
- N (and not m) is written before f, v, and m: infinito (endless), enfermo (sick), invento (invention), inmediato (immediate), inmortal (immortal).
- M (and not n) is written before b and p: lombriz (worm), ambiente (environment), impaciente (impatient), ejemplo (example).
- See also: Words with M
Spanish nouns that start with N
| niño boy | nivel level | nobleza nobility |
| nube cloud | necesidad need | nafta gasoline |
| nieve snow | nacimiento birth | neurona neuron |
| Navidad Christmas | navío ship | nuca back of the neck |
| noticia news | nido nest | navaja razor |
| nevera refrigerator | nota note, grade | nutria otter |
| novio boyfriend | número number | narciso daffodil |
| naturaleza nature | novela novel | neón neon |
| neblina fog | naufragio shipwreck | negación denial |
| nieto grandson | nación nation | Nueva York New York |
Foods starting with N: naranja (orange), nuez (walnut), níspero (loquat), nectarina (nectarine), nabo (turnip), nopal (prickly pear), natilla (custard).
Jobs starting with N: neurólogo (neurologist), neurocirujano (neurosurgeon), nutricionista (nutritionist), notario (notary public), nefrólogo (nephrologist), novelista (novelist).
Names starting with N: Natalia, Nora, Nadia, Noelia, Norberto, Néstor, Nicolás, Nicasio.
Estoy en el último nivel del videojuego.
I’m on the last level of the video game.Los alumnos obtuvieron muy buenas notas en el examen.
The students got very good grades on the exam.Elige un número del 1 al 10.
Pick a number from 1 to 10.¿Dónde pasarás Navidad este año?
Where will you spend Christmas this year?
- See also: Spanish nouns
Spanish adjectives that start with N
| nuevo new | norteño northern | normal normal |
| negro black | nevado snowy | nefasto disastrous |
| nublado cloudy | notorio evident, obvious | nacional national |
| necesario necessary | nocivo harmful | nórdico Nordic |
| natural natural | numeroso large, numerous | nocturno night, nocturnal |
| nítido clear, sharp | nutritivo nutritious | neoyorquino of/from New York |
| negativo negative | novedoso novel | nulo null, non-existent |
| nativo native, indigenous | naíf naive | nómada nomadic |
| noveno ninth | natal native | nauseabundo nauseating |
| notable remarkable | neutral neutral | nacarado pearly |
Cuando me desperté, el cielo estaba casi todo nublado.
When I woke up, the sky was largely overcast.¿Cuáles son los requisitos necesarios para esta posición?
What are the necessary requirements for this position?La llama es un animal nativo de Sudamérica.
The llama is a native animal of South America.El nuevo Iphone tiene muchas ventajas por sobre el anterior.
The new Iphone has many advantages over the previous one.
Adjectives starting with N to describe a person
| noble noble, honorable | noctámbulo night owl | nefasto hateful |
| natural natural, genuine | nudista nudist | negligente negligent |
| naíf naive | nervioso nervous | nihilista nihilist |
| novato inexperienced | necio stupid | negativo negative |
| nostálgico nostalgic | narcisista narcissist | nazi nazi |
Mi maestra es una persona noble con buenos valores.
My teacher is a noble person with good values.Mi hermano es noctámbulo, entonces prefiere estudiar de noche.
My brother is a night owl, so he prefers to study at night.
- See also: Spanish adjectives
Spanish verbs that start with N
| nadar to swim | nombrar to name, mention | nacionalizar to nationalize |
| necesitar to need | notar to notice | naturalizar to naturalize |
| negar to deny | nublar to cloud (over) | noquear to knock out |
| nevar to snow | numerar to number | ningunear to snub |
| navegar to sail | nominar to nominate | noviar to date |
| nacer to be born | nutrir to nourish | nebulizar to nebulize |
| negociar to negotiate | notificar to notify | nasalizar to nasalize |
| nivelar to level | neutralizar to neutralize | noctambular to be a night owl |
| narrar to narrate | normalizar to normalize | novelar to novelize |
| naufragar to shipwreck, sink | nuclear to nucleate | narcotizar to drug, narcotize |
¡Mira por la ventana! ¡Está nevando!
Look out the window! It's snowing!Estoy cansada; necesito tomar un descanso.
I’m tired, I need to take a rest.El Titanic naufragó en 1912.
The Titanic sank in 1912.A mis primos les encanta nadar en el lago.
My cousins love swimming in the lake.
- See also: Spanish verbs
Spanish adverbs that start with N
| no no | notoriamente notoriously, markedly | noblemente nobly |
| nunca never | necesariamente necessarily | numerosamente numerously |
| ni neither | nítidamente clearly | nostálgicamente nostalgically |
| nada at all | notablemente noticeably | neciamente foolishly |
| naturalmente naturally | nerviosamente nervously | negligentemente negligently |
| nuevamente again | negativamente negatively | neuróticamente neurotically |
| normalmente normally, usually | nacionalmente nationwide | nimiamente trivially |
No estoy nada nervioso.
I’m not nervous at all.Ni me invitaron ni pensaba ir.
Neither was I invited, nor was I planning to goHas progresado notoriamente; ¡sigue así!
You have made remarkable progress; keep it up!Normalmente me levanto temprano.
I usually get up early.
- See also: Spanish adverbs
More everyday Spanish words that start with N
Some more everyday Spanish words that start with N include:
nadie
nobody
ninguno, ningún, ninguna
none, no
Nochebuena
Christmas Eve
Nueva Zelanda
New Zealand
Noruega
Norway
nailon
nylon
Visitaremos Nueva Zelanda y Australia en nuestro próximo viaje.
We’ll visit New Zealand and Australia on our next trip.
En esa casa no vive nadie.
No one lives in that house.
Nuestra casa es la blanca de la esquina.
Our house is the white one on the corner.
En Nochebuena se reunirá toda mi familia.
On Christmas Eve, my whole family will get together.
You may also like:
Practice: Spanish words with N
References
- Wordreference.com, “nimiamente,” accessed November 11, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed November 11, 2024, under “shipwreck,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/
- Real Academia Española, Diccionario del estudiante, under “ni,” accessed November 11, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Enciclopedia del Lenguaje, “Palabras con N,” by Carla Giani. Last updated October 25, 2024, https://lenguaje.com/
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