Explore the intriguing differences between two deceptively similar Spanish nouns, "seto" and "seta." Discover their unique meanings and contexts, enriching your language skills while enhancing your understanding of the vibrant Spanish vocabulary.
It’s that time of the week when we examine a pair of Spanish nouns that appear similar in form but have quite different meanings based on their ending and gender. This week’s masculine and feminine pair are seto and seta.
Let’s begin with seto (masculine). You can listen to its pronunciation here:
Derived from the same Latin root as the septum that divides your nostrils, a seto is commonly found enclosing or separating gardens and can refer to one of two things: a fence (an inanimate structure made from various materials and more commonly referred to as una cerca in Spanish) or a hedge, which is a row of bushes and shrubs that can also be called un seto vivo (with vivo meaning living).
There was a statue in the garden, next to the bougainvillea hedge.
There was a statue in the garden, next to the bougainvillea hedge.
The hedges would be pruned.
The hedges would be trimmed.
The first jump is a fence measuring 1.36 meters in height.
The initial jump is a fence that is 1.36 meters tall.
Now let’s move on to seta (feminine), and you can listen to its pronunciation here: