The real meanings of ‘real’ in Spanish

The real meanings of ‘real’ in Spanish

The Spanish adjective real has several meanings. Paul Whitelock, our resident linguist, explains.

We come across the Spanish adjective real quite frequently; eg Real Madrid, la familia real, Real Ronda, Teatro Real.

Mostly it means royal, eg la familia real the royal family, Real Madrid CF , Real Automóvil Club de Espana, el Teatro Real, Ciudad Real.

Its second meaning is real, as in Real Ronda, la vida real etc

It is also a fairly common last name in Spain.

My house in Montejaque which I’ve called Casa Real in honour of the family I bought the house from. Their surname is Real. The house has been in their family for three generations, since it was built, in fact, until last year when I bought it from them.

Paul Whitelock

About Paul Whitelock

Paul Whitelock is a retired former languages teacher, school inspector and translator, who emigrated to the Serranía de Ronda in 2008, where he lives with his second wife, Rita. He spends his time between Montejaque and Ronda doing DIY, gardening and writing.