What does “agua” mean in Spanish?
The Spanish word agua means “water”: the clear liquid that falls as rain, runs in rivers and comes out of the tap. It is a feminine noun, and its plural is aguas. It is one of the oldest and most basic words in the language, and it names something you drink, wash in, cook with and live beside: bebo agua, “I drink water”; el agua del río, “the water of the river”.
Three things about the way Spanish uses the word will help you at once.
First, agua is feminine, but it takes the article el. This surprises every learner. Feminine nouns that begin with a stressed /a/ choose the form el of the article in the singular, instead of the normal la, when the article stands right next to the noun: el agua, “the water”. Everything else stays feminine: the adjective (el agua fría, “the cold water”, never el agua frío), the demonstratives (esta agua, “this water”, esa agua, “that water”), the quantifiers (mucha agua, “a lot of water”, poca agua, “little water”), and a pronoun that replaces it (nadie la bebe, “nobody drinks it”, 103.28). The rule works only when nothing comes between the article and the noun: once a word is inserted, the ordinary feminine article returns (la misma agua, “the same water”). In the plural there is no problem: las aguas. The Real Academia Española explains this as a matter of historical phonetics, and gives the same rule for el hambre, el alma, el área and el hacha.
Second, agua is a mass noun, like “water” in English. You say quiero agua, “I want water”, with no article, and no hay agua, “there is no water”. When you mean a particular water, or water in general as the subject of a statement, the article comes in: el agua está fría, “the water is cold” (103.3). To count it, you name a container or a measure: un vaso de agua, “a glass of water”, una botella de agua, una gota de agua, “a drop of water”. The plural aguas means “waters” in the sense of a body of water or a sea area: las aguas del lago, “the waters of the lake” (103.9).
Third, agua has a large family: aguacero (a downpour), paraguas (an umbrella, “for the waters”), desagüe (a drain), aguardiente (a spirit), aguafiestas (a spoilsport). Section D lists them.
The word comes from Latin aqua, “water”. The Latin /k/ between vowels softened to /g/ in Spanish, as in amīcus, which became amigo. It is the same word as Italian acqua, Portuguese água, Catalan aigua and French eau. The Latin root is still in sight in English: “aquatic”, “aquarium” and “aqueduct” are all built on aqua, and in Spanish the learned words acuático, acuario and acueducto keep the cu spelling.
Be careful of one verb. To water a plant is regar in Spanish. The verb aguar exists, but it means to dilute with water, or to spoil: aguar la fiesta, “to spoil the party”.
Orthography: agua takes no written accent. It is two syllables, a-gua, with the stress on the first. The u is pronounced (gua = /ɡwa/). When a word in the family needs the u to be pronounced before e or i, it is written with a diaeresis: desagüe, paragüero, agüita. The plural adds -s: agua, aguas.
This lesson uses the standard Spanish of Spain for pronunciation (with the sound /θ/ for z and for c before e and i), and Section E notes where Latin America differs.
FAQ: How do you say “water” in Spanish?
Q: How do I say “I want water”? A: Quiero agua. Without an article, for water as such.
Q: Is it la agua or el agua? A: El agua. The noun is feminine, but the article takes the form el before a stressed a-: el agua fría, esta agua, mucha agua.
Q: How do I say “this water”? A: Esta agua. The demonstrative is feminine, not “este agua”.
Q: What is the plural of agua? A: Aguas: las aguas, “the waters”.
Q: How do I ask for a glass of water? A: ¿Me das un vaso de agua, por favor?
Key Takeaways:
- Agua means “water”. It is feminine, but the singular article is el: el agua, not “la agua” - Everything else agrees in the feminine: el agua fría, esta agua, mucha agua, la misma agua - In the sense of “water” as a substance, agua is a mass noun and takes no article: quiero agua, no hay agua. It takes the article for a particular water or a general statement: el agua está fría - The plural is aguas (“waters”): las aguas del lago - The family: aguacero, paraguas, desagüe, aguardiente, acuático - To water a plant is regar, not “aguar”
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Agua /ˈaɣwa/ — two syllables, stress on the first: “AH-gwa”. The first a is the pure open vowel of “father”. The g stands between two vowels, so it is soft: the tongue does not touch the roof of the mouth, and the air only brushes past, /ɣ/. The u is a quick /w/, as in English “quick”, and the last a is again the open vowel. In el agua the article /el/ and the noun are said as two words, with the two a-sounds kept apart: “el AH-gwa”.
Aguas /ˈaɣwas/ — “AH-gwas”, with a final /s/.
Aguacero /aɣwaˈθeɾo/ — stress on the ce: “ah-gwah-THEH-ro”. In Latin America the c is /s/.
Paraguas /paˈɾaɣwas/ — stress on the second syllable, ra: “pa-RAH-gwas”. The r is a single tap of the tongue, as in American “butter”: /ɾ/.
Desagüe /deˈsaɣwe/ — stress on sa. The two dots on the ü mean that the u is pronounced: without them, gue would be read /ɡe/, as in guerra.
The transcription in line b follows these conventions. Each word is given as it is said alone, so the letters b, d and g are stops at the start of a word (/b d ɡ/) and soft between vowels inside it (/β ð ɣ/): vino /ˈbino/, cada /ˈkaða/, amigo /aˈmiɣo/. In running speech the initial b, d, g of a word also soften after a vowel: el vaso de agua is said with the soft /β/ and /ð/. The letters v and b are one sound. The letter h is silent. The double rr and the single r at the start of a word are the trill /r/; a single r between vowels is the tap /ɾ/. The letters ll and y are both written /ʝ/ here (yeísmo, the usual pronunciation today). The letter z, and c before e and i, are /θ/ (the “th” of “thin”) in Spain; most of Latin America says /s/ for all of them (seseo).
In line b the article el before agua is glossed the.F.SG(el): it is the form el serving a feminine noun, not the masculine article. Where el stands before a masculine noun, it is glossed the.M.SG.
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Duplex Method: line a gives each Spanish word with its meaning; line b gives the same words with IPA and grammatical glosses.
103.1a Esto this es is agua water
103.1b Esto /ˈesto/ this.N es /es/ be.PRES.3SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG
103.2a Quiero I-want agua water
103.2b Quiero /ˈkjeɾo/ want.PRES.1SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG
103.3a El the agua water está is fría cold
103.3b El /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG está /esˈta/ be.PRES.3SG fría /ˈfɾia/ cold.F.SG
103.4a Bebo I-drink agua water fría cold
103.4b Bebo /ˈbeβo/ drink.PRES.1SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG fría /ˈfɾia/ cold.F.SG
103.5a No not hay there-is agua water caliente hot
103.5b No /no/ not hay /aj/ there-be.PRES agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG caliente /kaˈljente/ hot.SG
103.6a Mi my hermana sister bebe drinks mucha much agua water
103.6b Mi /mi/ my.SG hermana /eɾˈmana/ sister.F.SG bebe /ˈbeβe/ drink.PRES.3SG mucha /ˈmutʃa/ much.F.SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG
103.7a ¿Me to-me das you-give un a vaso glass de of agua water por for favor favour
103.7b ¿Me /me/ me.DAT.1SG das /das/ give.PRES.2SG un /un/ a.M.SG vaso /ˈbaso/ glass.M.SG de /de/ of agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG por /poɾ/ for favor /faˈβoɾ/ favour.M.SG
103.8a ¿Se itself puede can beber to-drink el the agua water del of-the grifo tap
103.8b ¿Se /se/ REFL.3 puede /ˈpweðe/ can.PRES.3SG beber /beˈβeɾ/ drink.INF el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG del /del/ of-the.M.SG grifo /ˈɡɾifo/ tap.M.SG
103.9a Las the aguas waters del of-the lago lake están are muy very tranquilas calm
103.9b Las /las/ the.F.PL aguas /ˈaɣwas/ water.F.PL del /del/ of-the.M.SG lago /ˈlaɣo/ lake.M.SG están /esˈtan/ be.PRES.3PL muy /muj/ very tranquilas /tɾaŋˈkilas/ calm.F.PL
103.10a Esta this agua water del of-the pozo well no not es is potable drinkable
103.10b Esta /ˈesta/ this.F.SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG del /del/ of-the.M.SG pozo /ˈpoθo/ well.M.SG no /no/ not es /es/ be.PRES.3SG potable /poˈtaβle/ drinkable.SG
103.11a Cuando when llueve it-rains mucho much el the agua water del of-the río river sube rises y and llega arrives hasta as-far-as la the plaza square
103.11b Cuando /ˈkwando/ when llueve /ˈʝweβe/ rain.PRES.3SG mucho /ˈmutʃo/ much el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG del /del/ of-the.M.SG río /ˈrio/ river.M.SG sube /ˈsuβe/ rise.PRES.3SG y /i/ and llega /ˈʝeɣa/ arrive.PRES.3SG hasta /ˈasta/ as-far-as la /la/ the.F.SG plaza /ˈplaθa/ square.F.SG
103.12a Mi my abuela grandmother dice says que that el the agua water de of lluvia rain es is buena good para for las the plantas plants
103.12b Mi /mi/ my.SG abuela /aˈβwela/ grandmother.F.SG dice /ˈdiθe/ say.PRES.3SG que /ke/ that.COMP el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG de /de/ of lluvia /ˈʝuβja/ rain.F.SG es /es/ be.PRES.3SG buena /ˈbwena/ good.F.SG para /ˈpaɾa/ for las /las/ the.F.PL plantas /ˈplantas/ plant.F.PL
103.13a Agua water pasada passed no not mueve moves molino mill
103.13b Agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG pasada /paˈsaða/ pass.PTCP.F.SG no /no/ not mueve /ˈmweβe/ move.PRES.3SG molino /moˈlino/ mill.M.SG
103.14a Agua water que that no not has you-have de to beber drink déjala leave-it correr to-run
103.14b Agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG que /ke/ that.REL no /no/ not has /as/ have.PRES.2SG de /de/ to beber /beˈβeɾ/ drink.INF déjala /ˈdexala/ leave.IMP.2SG-it.ACC.F.SG correr /koˈreɾ/ run.INF
103.15a Cuando when el the río river suena sounds agua water lleva carries
103.15b Cuando /ˈkwando/ when el /el/ the.M.SG río /ˈrio/ river.M.SG suena /ˈswena/ sound.PRES.3SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG lleva /ˈʝeβa/ carry.PRES.3SG
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103.1 Esto es agua. → “This is water.”
103.2 Quiero agua. → “I want water.”
103.3 El agua está fría. → “The water is cold.”
103.4 Bebo agua fría. → “I drink cold water.”
103.5 No hay agua caliente. → “There is no hot water.”
103.6 Mi hermana bebe mucha agua. → “My sister drinks a lot of water.”
103.7 ¿Me das un vaso de agua, por favor? → “Will you give me a glass of water, please?”
103.8 ¿Se puede beber el agua del grifo? → “Can you drink the tap water?”
103.9 Las aguas del lago están muy tranquilas. → “The waters of the lake are very calm.”
103.10 Esta agua del pozo no es potable. → “This water from the well is not drinkable.”
103.11 Cuando llueve mucho, el agua del río sube y llega hasta la plaza. → “When it rains a lot, the water of the river rises and reaches the square.”
103.12 Mi abuela dice que el agua de lluvia es buena para las plantas. → “My grandmother says that rainwater is good for plants.”
103.13 Agua pasada no mueve molino. → “Water that has passed does not turn a mill.” (A proverb: what is past is past; it is no use regretting what is done.)
103.14 Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr. → “Water you are not going to drink, let it run.” (A proverb: leave alone what is no business of yours.)
103.15 Cuando el río suena, agua lleva. → “When the river makes a noise, it is carrying water.” (A proverb: where there is a rumour, there is usually something behind it; like “no smoke without fire”.)
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103.1 Esto es agua.
103.2 Quiero agua.
103.3 El agua está fría.
103.4 Bebo agua fría.
103.5 No hay agua caliente.
103.6 Mi hermana bebe mucha agua.
103.7 ¿Me das un vaso de agua, por favor?
103.8 ¿Se puede beber el agua del grifo?
103.9 Las aguas del lago están muy tranquilas.
103.10 Esta agua del pozo no es potable.
103.11 Cuando llueve mucho, el agua del río sube y llega hasta la plaza.
103.12 Mi abuela dice que el agua de lluvia es buena para las plantas.
103.13 Agua pasada no mueve molino.
103.14 Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr.
103.15 Cuando el río suena, agua lleva.
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These are the grammar rules for agua in Spanish:
1. Gender, and the article el
Agua is feminine. Everything that agrees with it is feminine: agua fría (103.3), agua caliente (103.5), mucha agua (103.6), esta agua (103.10), esa agua (103.25), poca agua (103.21), la misma agua. The one exception is the singular definite article, which takes the form el when it stands immediately before the noun:
el agua (SG), las aguas (PL)
This is a rule about the sound, not about gender. It applies to feminine nouns that begin with a stressed /a/: el agua, el hambre, el alma, el área, el hacha, el águila. It does not apply when another word stands between the article and the noun (la misma agua, la poca agua que queda), and it does not apply to feminine nouns whose first a is unstressed (la amiga, la ambulancia, la avenida). With the indefinite article, Spanish usually avoids the clash by naming a quantity: un vaso de agua (103.7), una botella de agua, una gota de agua. A pronoun that replaces agua is feminine: la bebe (103.28), not “lo” or “el”.
Because the article looks like the masculine el, it joins the contractions in the usual way: de + el agua = del agua, a + el agua = al agua. An example is “¡Al agua!”, “Into the water!”. With a real feminine article there is no contraction: de la misma agua.
2. Agua as a mass noun: with and without the article
When agua means “some water” or “water” as a thing to be wanted, bought or found, Spanish uses no article, like English: quiero agua (103.2), bebo agua fría (103.4), no hay agua caliente (103.5), ahorramos agua (103.22), sin agua (103.30). When it is a particular water, or the subject of a statement, the article is needed: el agua está fría (103.3), el agua del río (103.11), el agua de la fuente (103.19). In a general statement Spanish also wants the article, where English does not: me gusta el agua, “I like water”.
3. Counting and measuring water
You do not count agua with a number alone. You name the container or the measure:
un vaso de agua (a glass, 103.7), una botella de agua (a bottle), una garrafa de agua (a large bottle), un litro de agua (a litre), una gota de agua (a drop), una jarra de agua (a jug)
In a café, dos aguas, “two waters”, is understood as two glasses or bottles. In the plural, aguas can also mean separate bodies of water or a sea area: las aguas del lago (103.9), aguas termales (“hot springs”), aguas residuales (“sewage”), aguas territoriales (“territorial waters”).
4. Adjectives with agua, and ser or estar
The adjective agrees in the feminine: agua fría, agua caliente, agua fresca, agua limpia, agua sucia. An adjective that ends in -e has one form: agua potable, agua caliente. Fixed compounds join agua to another word with a descriptive adjective or with de: agua dulce (“fresh water”), agua salada (“salt water”), agua mineral, agua corriente (“mains water”), agua del grifo (“tap water”, 103.8), agua de lluvia (“rainwater”, 103.12), agua de manantial (“spring water”, 103.27).
Estar is used for a condition that can change: el agua está fría (103.3), las aguas están tranquilas (103.9). Ser is used for a lasting quality or a classification: esta agua no es potable (103.10), es agua de manantial (103.27). In 103.17, es agua muy fría y muy limpia, ser describes the character of the spring, not a passing condition.
5. The family of agua
aguacero — downpour, heavy shower paraguas — umbrella (para + aguas, “for the waters”); paragüero — umbrella stand desagüe — drain, outlet; desaguar — to drain aguardiente — a spirit, “burning water” (agua + ardiente) aguafiestas — spoilsport, party-pooper (agua + fiestas) aguamarina — aquamarine aguado, aguada — watery, watered down agüita — little water (the diminutive is usual in Latin America) acuático, acuario, acueducto, acuarela — aquatic, aquarium, aqueduct, watercolour (the learned forms, built on Latin aqua)
6. Haber de + infinitive
Agua que no has de beber (103.14) has the old structure haber de + infinitive, “to be going to, to have to”: has de beber means “you are to drink, you are going to drink”. It is now literary or proverbial, and ordinary speech says vas a beber or tienes que beber.
7. The impersonal se
Spanish often says what can be done with water without naming a person, with se and the verb in the third person: ¿se puede beber el agua del grifo? (103.8), “can the tap water be drunk?”; el agua de lluvia se guarda (103.24), “the rainwater is kept”. The verb agrees with the thing: se guarda el agua (SG), se guardan las aguas (PL).
8. Subjunctive after para que
Example 103.23 uses the present subjunctive pierda after para que, “so that”: cerramos el grifo para que no se pierda el agua, “we close the tap so that the water is not wasted”. When the subject is the same as the main verb’s, Spanish uses the infinitive instead: cerramos el grifo para ahorrar agua.
9. Idioms and sayings with agua
agua pasada no mueve molino — what is past is past; no use crying over spilt milk (103.13) agua que no has de beber, déjala correr — do not meddle in what does not concern you (103.14) cuando el río suena, agua lleva — a persistent rumour usually has some truth in it (103.15) como agua de mayo — most welcome, coming at just the right moment: este dinero nos viene como agua de mayo estar con el agua al cuello — to be in serious trouble, to be hard pressed se me hace la boca agua — my mouth waters llevar el agua a su molino — to turn a situation to one’s own advantage nadar entre dos aguas — to sit on the fence, to try to please both sides
Common mistakes for English speakers:
Mistake: The wrong article. ✗ la agua → ✓ el agua. The noun is feminine, but the singular article is el.
Mistake: A masculine adjective after el agua. ✗ el agua frío → ✓ el agua fría. Only the article changes; the adjective agrees with the true gender.
Mistake: A masculine demonstrative or quantifier. ✗ este agua, mucho agua → ✓ esta agua, mucha agua.
Mistake: The wrong plural article. ✗ los aguas → ✓ las aguas. The el rule is for the singular only.
Mistake: Using the article in a bare-noun context. ✗ Quiero el agua (when you mean “I want some water”) → ✓ Quiero agua. Say quiero el agua only for a water you have in mind.
Mistake: “To water” a plant. ✗ aguar las plantas → ✓ regar las plantas. Aguar means to dilute or to spoil.
Mistake: Leaving out the article in a general statement. ✗ Me gusta agua → ✓ Me gusta el agua.
Mistake: Adding an accent. ✗ água, água → ✓ agua. Água is Portuguese. Spanish agua takes no accent.
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Frequency and register
Agua is among the commonest nouns of Spanish and is neutral in register: it is used in the home, in a shop, in a recipe, in a poem and in a prayer. Like pan (Lesson 102), it appears in a great many proverbs, because the supply of water, in a land with long dry summers, decided where a village stood and what it could grow. The three proverbs of 103.13 to 103.15 are all in the traditional Spanish collections of refranes.
Water in the shop and on the table
The tap is el grifo in Spain, la llave in Mexico and many other countries of Latin America, and la canilla in Argentina and Uruguay. In Spain you order water in a restaurant as agua con gas (sparkling) or agua sin gas (still). In Mexico, agua mineral usually means sparkling water and agua natural plain water. Mexican cooking also has the aguas frescas: cold drinks made by mixing fruit, flowers or seeds with water and sugar, such as agua de jamaica (hibiscus), agua de horchata (rice) and agua de tamarindo.
Water in the landscape
In the dry east and south of Spain, irrigation channels called acequias (the word is Arabic in origin) carry water to the gardens and orchards. In Valencia, the Tribunal de las Aguas (the Water Tribunal) settles disputes between farmers over irrigation. It meets every Thursday at noon at the Puerta de los Apóstoles of the cathedral, and UNESCO has listed it, in 2009, as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In Mexico, the city and state of Aguascalientes carry in their name the hot springs (“hot waters”) of the region.
World Water Day
The Día Mundial del Agua is held on 22 March each year, and is marked across the Spanish-speaking world.
Everyday phrases
Como agua de mayo: just what was needed, at the right time.
Estar con el agua al cuello: to be up to one’s neck in trouble.
Se me hace la boca agua: my mouth is watering.
Llevar el agua a su molino: to bring the water to one’s own mill, which is to say, to turn things to one’s own advantage.
Latin America and Spain
The word agua is the same everywhere, and the proverbs of this lesson are known across the Spanish-speaking world. The differences are in the name of the tap (above), in the pronunciation of z and c (/θ/ in much of Spain, /s/ in Latin America and the Canary Islands), and in small words and the names of drinks.
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Source: The Gospel according to John (Evangelio según San Juan), chapter 4, verses 13 and 14, in the Spanish Reina-Valera translation, 1960 revision (RVR1960). The wording was checked in this session against the RVR1960 text on BibleGateway and on Bible.com.
Context: These verses come from the meeting of Jesus and a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Jesus has asked her for a drink; she has answered that the well is deep and he has nothing to draw with (4:11). He replies by speaking of two waters: the water of the well, which satisfies thirst only for a time, and the “agua viva”, the living water, which he will give. In Spanish the passage is a clear model of the lesson: agua appears with esta, with del, with el and, last of all, after de, without an article. The Reina-Valera is the classic Spanish Protestant Bible, begun by Casiodoro de Reina (printed in Basel in 1569, the “Biblia del Oso”), revised by Cipriano de Valera in 1602, and revised again many times since, in 1960 among them. Its language keeps a slightly old-fashioned style, as the verb forms bebiere (future subjunctive) and the conjunctions mas and sino que show.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Cualquiera whoever que that bebiere should-drink de of esta this agua water volverá will-return a to tener have sed thirst
F.1b Cualquiera /kwalˈkjeɾa/ whoever.SG que /ke/ that.REL bebiere /beˈβjeɾe/ drink.FUT.SUBJ.3SG de /de/ of esta /ˈesta/ this.F.SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG volverá /bolbeˈɾa/ return.FUT.3SG a /a/ to tener /teˈneɾ/ have.INF sed /seð/ thirst.F.SG
F.2a Mas but el the que that bebiere should-drink del of-the agua water que that yo I le to-him daré I-will-give
F.2b Mas /mas/ but el /el/ the.M.SG que /ke/ that.REL bebiere /beˈβjeɾe/ drink.FUT.SUBJ.3SG del /del/ of-the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG que /ke/ that.REL yo /ʝo/ I.NOM.1SG le /le/ him.DAT.3SG daré /daˈɾe/ give.FUT.1SG
F.3a No not tendrá will-have sed thirst jamás ever
F.3b No /no/ not tendrá /tenˈdɾa/ have.FUT.3SG sed /seð/ thirst.F.SG jamás /xaˈmas/ ever
F.4a Sino but que that el the agua water que that yo I le to-him daré I-will-give será will-be en in él him una a fuente spring de of agua water que that salte may-spring-up para for vida life eterna eternal
F.4b Sino /ˈsino/ but que /ke/ that.COMP el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG que /ke/ that.REL yo /ʝo/ I.NOM.1SG le /le/ him.DAT.3SG daré /daˈɾe/ give.FUT.1SG será /seˈɾa/ be.FUT.3SG en /en/ in él /el/ he.PRON.M.SG una /ˈuna/ a.F.SG fuente /ˈfwente/ spring.F.SG de /de/ of agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG que /ke/ that.REL salte /ˈsalte/ spring-up.PRES.SUBJ.3SG para /ˈpaɾa/ for vida /ˈbiða/ life.F.SG eterna /eˈteɾna/ eternal.F.SG
F-B: Original Text with Translation
Cualquiera que bebiere de esta agua, volverá a tener sed; mas el que bebiere del agua que yo le daré, no tendrá sed jamás; sino que el agua que yo le daré será en él una fuente de agua que salte para vida eterna.
“Whoever drinks of this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never be thirsty; rather, the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
(The English is the Latinum Institute’s own, kept close to the Spanish.)
F-C: Original Text Only
Cualquiera que bebiere de esta agua, volverá a tener sed; mas el que bebiere del agua que yo le daré, no tendrá sed jamás; sino que el agua que yo le daré será en él una fuente de agua que salte para vida eterna.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
Agua appears four times, and each time it shows one part of the rules of Section D. In esta agua the demonstrative is feminine, as always. In del agua the preposition de meets the article el and gives the contraction del: the form el serves the feminine noun, as the stressed a- rule requires, and the contraction follows. In el agua que yo le daré the article is el, again before the stressed a, and the relative clause that follows says which water is meant. In una fuente de agua the noun comes after de, with no article, as a stuff: “a spring of water”.
Bebiere is the future subjunctive of beber. This tense was once common in Spanish, in conditions and relative clauses about the unknown: “whoever should drink”. In modern Spanish it has vanished from speech, and survives in the Bible, in old proverbs and in legal texts. Modern Spanish would use the present subjunctive: cualquiera que beba de esta agua, el que beba del agua que yo le daré. The same function is served by the subjunctive salte in una fuente de agua que salte: “a spring of water that may spring up”, a spring that is described by what it is meant to do, not by what it does already.
Cualquiera que means “whoever”, and el que means “he who” or “the one who”. Both introduce a relative clause with a subjunctive verb because the person is not yet known. Le in que yo le daré is the indirect object, “to him”, and refers to the one who drinks.
Mas, without an accent, is the old literary “but”, not the same as más, “more”. Modern Spanish says pero. Sino que is “but rather”, and is used after a negative clause: no tendrá sed jamás, sino que… The double negative no… jamás is regular in Spanish: jamás means “ever” and “never” according to the verb.
Volverá a tener sed is “will be thirsty again”: volver a + infinitive is the usual way to say “to do something again”. Tener sed, “to be thirsty”, uses tener, not estar: Spanish “has” thirst. Sed is feminine: mucha sed.
En él has the accent on él, the pronoun “him”, to tell it from the article el, as the accent on más tells it from mas.
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A short descriptive text about the water of a mountain village: where it comes from, the fountain in the square, the morning at the fountain, the dry summer, and how the villagers look after the water they have. Agua appears in a different position in each sentence.
103.16a En in mi my pueblo village el the agua water viene comes de from la the montaña mountain
103.16b En /en/ in mi /mi/ my.SG pueblo /ˈpweβlo/ village.M.SG el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG viene /ˈbjene/ come.PRES.3SG de /de/ from la /la/ the.F.SG montaña /monˈtaɲa/ mountain.F.SG
103.17a Es it-is agua water muy very fría cold y and muy very limpia clean
103.17b Es /es/ be.PRES.3SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG muy /muj/ very fría /ˈfɾia/ cold.F.SG y /i/ and muy /muj/ very limpia /ˈlimpja/ clean.F.SG
103.18a En in la the plaza square hay there-is una a fuente fountain y and el the agua water cae falls día day y and noche night
103.18b En /en/ in la /la/ the.F.SG plaza /ˈplaθa/ square.F.SG hay /aj/ there-be.PRES una /ˈuna/ a.F.SG fuente /ˈfwente/ fountain.F.SG y /i/ and el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG cae /ˈkae/ fall.PRES.3SG día /ˈdia/ day.M.SG y /i/ and noche /ˈnotʃe/ night.F.SG
103.19a Por in la the mañana morning los the vecinos neighbours llenan fill sus their garrafas large-bottles con with el the agua water de of la the fuente fountain
103.19b Por /poɾ/ in la /la/ the.F.SG mañana /maˈɲana/ morning.F.SG los /los/ the.M.PL vecinos /beˈθinos/ neighbour.M.PL llenan /ˈʝenan/ fill.PRES.3PL sus /sus/ their.PL garrafas /ɡaˈrafas/ large-bottle.F.PL con /kon/ with el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG de /de/ of la /la/ the.F.SG fuente /ˈfwente/ fountain.F.SG
103.20a Los the niños children juegan play y and se themselves mojan wet con with el the agua water
103.20b Los /los/ the.M.PL niños /ˈniɲos/ child.M.PL juegan /ˈxweɣan/ play.PRES.3PL y /i/ and se /se/ REFL.3 mojan /ˈmoxan/ wet.PRES.3PL con /kon/ with el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG
103.21a En in verano summer baja goes-down poca little agua water por along el the río river
103.21b En /en/ in verano /beˈɾano/ summer.M.SG baja /ˈbaxa/ go-down.PRES.3SG poca /ˈpoka/ little.F.SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG por /poɾ/ along el /el/ the.M.SG río /ˈrio/ river.M.SG
103.22a Entonces then todos all ahorramos we-save agua water en in casa home
103.22b Entonces /enˈtonθes/ then todos /ˈtoðos/ all.M.PL ahorramos /aoˈramos/ save.PRES.1PL agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG en /en/ in casa /ˈkasa/ home.F.SG
103.23a Cerramos we-close el the grifo tap para for que that no not se itself pierda lose el the agua water
103.23b Cerramos /θeˈramos/ close.PRES.1PL el /el/ the.M.SG grifo /ˈɡɾifo/ tap.M.SG para /ˈpaɾa/ for que /ke/ that.COMP no /no/ not se /se/ REFL.3 pierda /ˈpjeɾða/ lose.PRES.SUBJ.3SG el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG
103.24a Hay there-is un a depósito tank donde where se itself guarda is-kept el the agua water de of lluvia rain
103.24b Hay /aj/ there-be.PRES un /un/ a.M.SG depósito /deˈposito/ tank.M.SG donde /ˈdonde/ where se /se/ REFL.3 guarda /ˈɡwaɾða/ keep.PRES.3SG el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG de /de/ of lluvia /ˈʝuβja/ rain.F.SG
103.25a Con with esa that agua water riegan they-water los the huertos vegetable-gardens en in verano summer
103.25b Con /kon/ with esa /ˈesa/ that.F.SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG riegan /ˈrjeɣan/ water.PRES.3PL los /los/ the.M.PL huertos /ˈweɾtos/ vegetable-garden.M.PL en /en/ in verano /beˈɾano/ summer.M.SG
103.26a Los the turistas tourists preguntan ask si if el the agua water de of la the fuente fountain se itself puede can beber to-drink
103.26b Los /los/ the.M.PL turistas /tuˈɾistas/ tourist.M.PL preguntan /pɾeˈɣuntan/ ask.PRES.3PL si /si/ if el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG de /de/ of la /la/ the.F.SG fuente /ˈfwente/ fountain.F.SG se /se/ REFL.3 puede /ˈpweðe/ can.PRES.3SG beber /beˈβeɾ/ drink.INF
103.27a Los the vecinos neighbours contestan answer que that sí yes es it-is agua water de of manantial spring y and sabe tastes muy very bien well
103.27b Los /los/ the.M.PL vecinos /beˈθinos/ neighbour.M.PL contestan /konˈtestan/ answer.PRES.3PL que /ke/ that.COMP sí /si/ yes es /es/ be.PRES.3SG agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG de /de/ of manantial /mananˈtjal/ spring.M.SG y /i/ and sabe /ˈsaβe/ taste.PRES.3SG muy /muj/ very bien /bjen/ well
103.28a Pero but el the agua water del of-the pozo well no not es is potable drinkable y and nadie nobody la it bebe drinks
103.28b Pero /ˈpeɾo/ but el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG del /del/ of-the.M.SG pozo /ˈpoθo/ well.M.SG no /no/ not es /es/ be.PRES.3SG potable /poˈtaβle/ drinkable.SG y /i/ and nadie /ˈnaðje/ nobody la /la/ it.ACC.F.SG bebe /ˈbeβe/ drink.PRES.3SG
103.29a Por in la the tarde afternoon el the agua water de of la the fuente fountain refleja reflects el the cielo sky
103.29b Por /poɾ/ in la /la/ the.F.SG tarde /ˈtaɾðe/ afternoon.F.SG el /el/ the.F.SG(el) agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG de /de/ of la /la/ the.F.SG fuente /ˈfwente/ fountain.F.SG refleja /reˈflexa/ reflect.PRES.3SG el /el/ the.M.SG cielo /ˈθjelo/ sky.M.SG
103.30a Sin without agua water no not hay there-is vida life y and mi my pueblo village lo it sabe knows
103.30b Sin /sin/ without agua /ˈaɣwa/ water.F.SG no /no/ not hay /aj/ there-be.PRES vida /ˈbiða/ life.F.SG y /i/ and mi /mi/ my.SG pueblo /ˈpweβlo/ village.M.SG lo /lo/ it.ACC.N sabe /ˈsaβe/ know.PRES.3SG
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103.16 En mi pueblo el agua viene de la montaña. → “In my village the water comes from the mountain.”
103.17 Es agua muy fría y muy limpia. → “It is very cold, very clean water.”
103.18 En la plaza hay una fuente y el agua cae día y noche. → “In the square there is a fountain, and the water falls day and night.”
103.19 Por la mañana los vecinos llenan sus garrafas con el agua de la fuente. → “In the morning the neighbours fill their large bottles with the water of the fountain.”
103.20 Los niños juegan y se mojan con el agua. → “The children play and get wet with the water.”
103.21 En verano baja poca agua por el río. → “In summer little water comes down the river.”
103.22 Entonces todos ahorramos agua en casa. → “Then we all save water at home.”
103.23 Cerramos el grifo para que no se pierda el agua. → “We close the tap so that the water is not wasted.”
103.24 Hay un depósito donde se guarda el agua de lluvia. → “There is a tank where the rainwater is kept.”
103.25 Con esa agua riegan los huertos en verano. → “With that water they water the vegetable gardens in summer.”
103.26 Los turistas preguntan si el agua de la fuente se puede beber. → “The tourists ask whether the water of the fountain can be drunk.”
103.27 Los vecinos contestan que sí: es agua de manantial y sabe muy bien. → “The neighbours answer that it can: it is spring water and tastes very good.”
103.28 Pero el agua del pozo no es potable, y nadie la bebe. → “But the water from the well is not drinkable, and nobody drinks it.”
103.29 Por la tarde el agua de la fuente refleja el cielo. → “In the afternoon the water of the fountain reflects the sky.”
103.30 Sin agua no hay vida, y mi pueblo lo sabe. → “Without water there is no life, and my village knows it.”
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103.16 En mi pueblo el agua viene de la montaña.
103.17 Es agua muy fría y muy limpia.
103.18 En la plaza hay una fuente y el agua cae día y noche.
103.19 Por la mañana los vecinos llenan sus garrafas con el agua de la fuente.
103.20 Los niños juegan y se mojan con el agua.
103.21 En verano baja poca agua por el río.
103.22 Entonces todos ahorramos agua en casa.
103.23 Cerramos el grifo para que no se pierda el agua.
103.24 Hay un depósito donde se guarda el agua de lluvia.
103.25 Con esa agua riegan los huertos en verano.
103.26 Los turistas preguntan si el agua de la fuente se puede beber.
103.27 Los vecinos contestan que sí: es agua de manantial y sabe muy bien.
103.28 Pero el agua del pozo no es potable, y nadie la bebe.
103.29 Por la tarde el agua de la fuente refleja el cielo.
103.30 Sin agua no hay vida, y mi pueblo lo sabe.
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Agua in the description. Agua is the subject, with the article el, in 103.16, 103.18, 103.23 and 103.24 (both after the verb), 103.26 (inside the question), 103.28 and 103.29. It follows a preposition in 103.19 (con el agua de la fuente), 103.20 (con el agua) and 103.25 (con esa agua). It is bare, with no article, whenever it means “water” as a stuff or a quality: es agua muy fría (103.17), poca agua (103.21), ahorramos agua (103.22), es agua de manantial (103.27), sin agua (103.30). It takes the article when it is the particular water under discussion: el agua de la fuente (103.26, 103.29), el agua de lluvia (103.24).
The el rule and the rest. Every time the definite article stands next to agua, it is el: el agua (103.16, 103.18, 103.19, 103.20, 103.23, 103.24, 103.26, 103.28, 103.29). Everything else is feminine: esa agua (103.25), poca agua (103.21), muy fría y muy limpia (103.17), and the pronoun la in 103.28: nadie la bebe, “nobody drinks it”. The speaker says la, not lo or el, because the thing replaced is feminine.
Verb before the subject. In 103.21, baja poca agua, the verb comes first and the subject, a new and indefinite quantity of water, follows it: this is the normal order for an indefinite subject that is being introduced.
Se. In 103.24 and 103.26, se makes the sense passive: se guarda el agua, “the water is kept”; se puede beber, “can be drunk”. In 103.23, se pierda is the same idea in the subjunctive: “so that the water is not lost”. In 103.20 se mojan is reflexive: the children get themselves wet.
Subjunctive and infinitive after para. Para que no se pierda (103.23) has a subjunctive, because the thing to be achieved concerns a different subject: we close the tap, and the water is not lost. If the subject were the same, Spanish would use the infinitive: cerramos el grifo para ahorrar agua.
Stem-changing verbs. Riegan (103.25) comes from regar, “to water”: e becomes ie in the stressed forms (riego, riegas, riega, riegan) but not in the unstressed (regamos, regáis). Llueve (103.11) comes from llover in the same way: the o becomes ue. Juegan (103.20) comes from jugar, with u becoming ue.
Prepositions of place and time. Por la mañana, por la tarde, “in the morning, in the afternoon”, are fixed; en verano, “in summer”, takes no article (103.21, 103.25). En la plaza (103.18) and en casa (103.22) are “in the square” and “at home”; en casa has no article.
Haber and the indefinite subject. Hay (103.18, 103.24, 103.30) says that something exists: hay una fuente, hay un depósito, no hay vida. Hay does not change for the plural: hay dos fuentes. ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Orthography inventory. This lesson uses the letters ñ (montaña, niños, mañana), the accented vowels á é í ó ú (está, fría, río, sí, él, déjala, depósito, jamás, volverá), the diaeresis ü (desagüe, paragüero, agüita), and the inverted question mark ¿ (103.7, 103.8). The acute accent shows the stress where the ordinary rule would put it elsewhere, and it separates words that sound alike: él “he” and el “the”, más “more” and mas “but”, sí “yes” and si “if”. Agua itself takes no accent.
The gua, gue, güe rule. Before a, the u of gu is sounded: agua /ˈaɣwa/. Before e and i, the u is silent: guerra, guitarra. To make it sound before e or i, write ü: desagüe /deˈsaɣwe/, agüita /aˈɣwita/, paragüero /paɾaˈɣweɾo/.
The ordinary stress rule. A word that ends in a vowel, n or s is stressed on the second-last syllable: agua, aguas, potable, comen. A word that ends in any other consonant is stressed on the last syllable: beber, favor, manantial. A word that breaks the rule has a written accent: está, jamás, depósito, déjala. A written accent also shows a hiatus, where two vowels that might run together are two syllables: fría, río, día.
Near-sounding words.
- agua “water” and aguas “waters”: the plural has an s, but no new accent. - agua and aguar “to dilute, to spoil”: not the verb for watering plants (regar). - agua and água: the second is Portuguese. - ahogar “to drown, to choke” has no connection with agua, although drowning happens in water; it comes from Latin offocāre.
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