Meaning & use
El Gordo
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
Spain's main Christmas lottery, held every December, or its largest prize.
Grammar: Used as a name; takes a singular verb: El Gordo is drawn on December 22.
Patterns
- win El Gordo
- play El Gordo
- the El Gordo draw
Thousands of people buy tickets hoping to win El Gordo.
The El Gordo draw is a major event in Spain, broadcast on TV.
She bought a share of a ticket for El Gordo.
nounsingular
The top prize in Spain's Christmas lottery.
Grammar: Usually with the definite article: the El Gordo.
Patterns
- the El Gordo
- share the El Gordo
The El Gordo was shared among many ticket holders.
He won a small part of the El Gordo.
Common combinations
- win El Gordo
- They won El Gordo and became millionaires overnight.
- play El Gordo
- Many Spaniards play El Gordo every year.
- El Gordo draw
- The El Gordo draw takes place on December 22.
- El Gordo ticket
- She bought an El Gordo ticket at a local bar.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Christmas lottery
- A general term for any Christmas lottery; El Gordo is the specific Spanish one.
- Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad
- The official Spanish name; El Gordo is the informal nickname.
Commonly confused: El Gordo or gordo?
El Gordo vs gordo
In Spanish, 'gordo' means 'fat'; but El Gordo as a whole is a proper noun for the lottery, not an adjective.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'El Gordo' correctly?
Choose one answer.
El Gordo is a proper noun and is usually used without an article when referring to the prize: 'win El Gordo'. Option 2 adds an unnecessary 'the'; option 3 uses 'a' incorrectly; option 4 wrongly pluralizes it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “El Gordo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.