What does son in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word son in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use son in Spanish.

The word son in Spanish means sound, pace, son, son, being, person, be, be, be for, be, be, be, why on earth, half a loaf is better than none, when it rains it pours, it never rains but it pours, when it rains it pours, to the sound of, that's the way things are, that's the way women are, dance to the sound of, as sure as that two and two are four, like, in peace, fancy that!, the eyes are the mirror to the soul, those who are, are, I swear, without rhyme nor reason, that's just me, is a sure thing, three is a crowd, your eyes are two stars, come in peace. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word son

sound

nombre masculino (sonido musical)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
La tentación de bailar al rítmico son de los tambores era irresistible.
The temptation to dance to the rhythmic sound of the drums was irresistible.

pace

nombre masculino (pauta, ritmo)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Los alumnos estudian al son del maestro; él marca la pauta.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. My cousin is so lucky; she's a freelancer and gets to work at her own pace.

son

nombre masculino (género musical) (Cuban musical genre)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
El son es un género musical con influencias indígenas, africanas y españolas.
Son is a musical genre with indigenous, African and Spanish influences.

son

nombre masculino (danza del Caribe) (Caribbean style of dance)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mi amigo Germán me enseñó a bailar son en La Habana.
My friend Germán taught me to dance son in Havana.

being

nombre masculino (cosa, ente)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Tu mascota es un ser vivo, no un juguete.
Your pet is a living being, not a toy.

person

nombre masculino (humano, persona, individuo)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Es un ser despreciable, ha hecho cosas terribles.
He is a despicable person: he has done terrible things.

be

verbo intransitivo (tener una cualidad)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
El agua del lago es azul.
The water in the lake is blue.

be

verbo intransitivo (posesión)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Estos dos coches son míos.
These two cars are mine.

be for

verbo intransitivo (servir para algo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La cama es para dormir.
The bed is for sleeping.

be

verbo intransitivo (efectuarse, suceder)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
La fiesta será el sábado en mi casa.
The party will be on Saturday at my house.

be

verbo intransitivo (procedencia) (from)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
Fernando Alonso es de Asturias.
Fernando Alonso is from Asturias.

be

verbo intransitivo (costar) (cost)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")
¿A cómo son las naranjas?
How much are the oranges?

why on earth

expresión (coloquial (pide motivo, objetivo)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
–Préstame tu coche. –¿A son de qué?

half a loaf is better than none

expresión (hay que conformarse)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

when it rains it pours, it never rains but it pours

expresión (suma de desgracias)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Juan perdió su casa en un incendio y ahora se quedó sin trabajo: a perro flaco todo son pulgas.
Juan's house went up in flames and now he's lost his job: it never rains but it pours.

when it rains it pours

expresión (una desgracia detrás de otra)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Acaba de salir una nueva droga barata que mata a los pobres en Atenas; a perro flaco, todo son pulgas.
A new inexpensive drug just came out that is killing the poor people in Athens. When it rains, it pours.

to the sound of

locución preposicional (al ritmo de)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
La pareja bailaba al son de los tambores.

that's the way things are

expresión (resignación, aceptación)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Así son las cosas, ya no podemos cambiar el destino.
That's the way things are. We can't change destiny.

that's the way women are

expresión (potencialmente peyorativo (incomprensión) (pejorative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Así son las mujeres, quién las entiende.
That's the way women are; nobody understands them.

dance to the sound of

locución verbal (ir al ritmo de) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Bailamos al son de la salsa toda la noche.
We danced to the sound of salsa all night.

as sure as that two and two are four

expresión (con seguridad)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Estoy convencido de que te engaña, como dos y dos son cuatro.

like

locución preposicional (con la intención de)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")
!Estoy en son de fiesta hoy!

in peace

locución adverbial (sin ánimo de pelear)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Si quieres hablar hazlo en son de paz.
If you want to talk, do it in peace.

fancy that!

expresión (lo que es la vida)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
Lo que son las cosas, ayer estaba casado y hoy se está divorciando.
Fancy that! Yesterday he was married and today he's getting divorced.

the eyes are the mirror to the soul

expresión (la mirada lo dice todo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Mi abuela siempre decía que los ojos son el espejo del alma.
My grandma always used to say that the eyes are the mirror to the soul.

those who are, are

expresión (los que importan)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Los verdaderos amigos son así, los que son, son, y los demás no merecen la pena.

I swear

expresión (juramento, amenaza)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Por estas que te vas a arrepentir.

without rhyme nor reason

locución adverbial (sin razón o causa)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Los compradores compulsivos compran cosas sin ton ni son.
Compulsive shoppers buy things without rhyme nor reason.

that's just me

expresión (no te interesa)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Es cierto que no me agrada tu novio, pero son cosas mías y no tienes que preocuparte por eso.
It's true that I don't think much of your boyfriend, but that's just me and you shouldn't worry about that.

is a sure thing

expresión (ES, coloquial (hecho cierto, claro)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Son habas contadas: la huelga es inevitable.

three is a crowd

expresión (pide privacidad)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

your eyes are two stars

expresión (anticuado (piropo, lisonja)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

come in peace

locución verbal (acercarse pacíficamente)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Tranquilo, vengo en son de paz.
Don't worry, I come in peace.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of son in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.