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Meaning & use

pure Spanish

phrase·Advanced

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UK/ˌpjʊə ˈspænɪʃ/
US/ˌpjʊr ˈspænɪʃ/

Meanings

  1. phrase

    Spanish speech or writing that contains no words or grammar borrowed from another language, especially English.

    Grammar: Used as a noun-like phrase: you can say 'in pure Spanish' or 'speak pure Spanish', but you do not count it ('two pure Spanishes' is wrong).

    Patterns

    • speak in pure Spanish
    • say something in pure Spanish
    • write in pure Spanish

    The teacher asked us to discuss the news in pure Spanish, without slipping into English.

    Her emails are always in pure Spanish, so I keep a dictionary open when I read them.

  2. phrasebefore a noun

    Spanish that is not mixed with another language or dialect, considered in its standard or original form.

    Grammar: Comes before a noun to describe the language itself: 'pure Spanish vocabulary', 'a pure Spanish sentence'.

    Patterns

    • pure Spanish vocabulary
    • a pure Spanish sentence
    • pure Spanish grammar

    Linguists studied the village to hear pure Spanish that had changed little over centuries.

    He prefers pure Spanish textbooks because translated ones introduce odd phrasing.

  3. phrasefigurative

    Used figuratively about something that is completely or typically Spanish in character.

    Grammar: Figurative use; it describes a thing or event rather than language, and is often slightly humorous.

    Patterns

    • pure Spanish something
    • something is pure Spanish

    The whole evening — late dinner, guitar music, everyone talking at once — was pure Spanish.

    That little plaza feels like pure Spanish small-town life.

Common combinations

in pure Spanish
Please answer the question in pure Spanish.
speak pure Spanish
Her grandparents still speak pure Spanish at home.
pure Spanish speaker
He is a pure Spanish speaker who has never studied English.
translate into pure Spanish
Try to translate the poem into pure Spanish rather than a mix.
pure Spanish pronunciation
The course focuses on pure Spanish pronunciation from Madrid.

Synonyms and how they differ

standard Spanish
Refers to the accepted educated form of the language; it can still include regional words, so it is broader than 'pure Spanish'.
unmixed Spanish
A literal description of the same idea, but it is rare and sounds like a technical label rather than everyday speech.
Castilian
Names the Spanish of central Spain specifically; 'pure Spanish' says nothing about region, only about the absence of other languages.

Opposites

Spanglishmixed Spanish

Word family

Spanish noun
The language itself, without any comment on how pure it is.
Spaniard noun
A person from Spain.
Hispanic adjective
Relating to Spanish-speaking countries or their people.

Commonly confused: pure Spanish or Spanglish? pure Spanish or Castilian Spanish?

pure Spanish vs Spanglish

Spanglish is the opposite idea: Spanish mixed freely with English. If you mean Spanish with no English at all, 'pure Spanish' is the phrase you want.

pure Spanish vs Castilian Spanish

This names one regional variety of the language, while 'pure Spanish' only says that no other language is mixed in.

Practice

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