Spanish Word of the Week: 'Radio'

In our ongoing series exploring Spanish nouns that change gender based on their meaning, this week we focus on radio. A seemingly simple word, radio carries different meanings and grammatical genders depending on its context.

Feminine Usage: La Radio

One of the earliest exceptions Spanish learners encounter is la radio (feminine), which refers to the concept of radio as a medium or broadcast. Here are some examples:

• Antonio encendió la radio.
  Antonio switched on the radio.

• ¿Escucha la radio?
  Are you listening to the radio?

• Me he enterado por la radio.
  I heard about it on the radio.

• Una radio de onda corta.
  A short-wave radio.

In these cases, radio represents the medium or the intangible concept of radio broadcasting, which remains feminine.

Masculine Usage: El Radio

In many Latin American regions, when referring to the physical radio device, the noun becomes masculine: el radio.

• Acabo de oírlo en el radio.
  I’ve just heard it on the radio.

But el radio doesn’t stop at radio devices. It carries a variety of meanings across different fields:

1. Chemistry: El radio refers to the chemical element radium.

   • Marie Curie descubrió el radio.
     Marie Curie discovered radium.

2. Mathematics: In geometry, el radio is the radius of a circle or sphere.

   • El radio es la mitad del diámetro.
     The radius is half the diameter.

3. Distance Measurement: It also refers to the distance from a central point.

   • Abrasó todo aquello situado dentro de un radio de tres kilómetros.
     It incinerated everything within a three-kilometre radius.

4. Mechanics: In wheels, el radio refers to a spoke.

   • Se habían torcido algunos de los radios de su rueda delantera.
     Some of the spokes of her front wheel had bent.

5. Anatomy: In human anatomy, el radio is one of the two forearm bones.

   • Se rompió el cúbito y el radio.
     He broke his ulna and radius.

Gender Agreement: A Crucial Detail

When using radio, it’s essential to ensure that articles and adjectives match the noun's gender and number:

• Había dejado la radio puesta.
  He had left the radio on.

• Las ruedas elegidas por los ciclistas profesionales carecen de los típicos radios metálicos.
  The wheels chosen by professional cyclists lack the typical metal spokes.

Understanding the nuances of radio is not only about vocabulary but also about context and precision in gender agreement.

Stay tuned for next week’s installment, where we’ll unravel another Spanish noun that shifts gender based on its meaning!