Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Budget in Spanish: Presupuesto, Presupuestar, and Económico
Presupuesto · noun (masculine) · preh-soo-PWES-toh
Budget in Spanish is presupuesto (preh-soo-PWES-toh), a masculine noun used for financial plans, cost estimates, and government spending allocations alike. The verb form presupuestar means to budget or to estimate costs. When English uses 'budget' as an adjective meaning cheap or affordable — budget airline, budget hotel — Spanish prefers económico/a or de bajo costo rather than presupuesto.
Presupuesto is preh-soo-PWES-toh, four syllables, stress on PWES. The ue is a diphthong, so PWES is one syllable. The initial pre- is quick and unstressed.
Tenemos que ajustar el presupuesto antes de fin de mes.
We have to adjust the budget before the end of the month.
Budget in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for budget, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| presupuesto | budget | preh-soo-PWES-toh | Default, widely understood |
| presupuestar | budget | Verb form: to budget | |
| económico/a | budget | Budget (adj.) meaning affordable or low-cost |
How Native Speakers Use Presupuesto
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Company or project budget
El presupuesto del proyecto supera los dos millones de dólares.
The project budget exceeds two million dollars.
Presupuesto is used the same way for personal finances, businesses, and governments.
Requesting a cost estimate
¿Me podría dar un presupuesto para la reparación del techo?
Could you give me an estimate for the roof repair?
Presupuesto also means a cost estimate or quote. Pedir un presupuesto (to ask for a quote) is extremely common in daily life.
Budget-friendly (adjective)
Encontramos un hotel económico cerca de la playa.
We found a budget hotel near the beach.
For the adjective sense (budget = affordable), use económico/a, barato/a, or de bajo costo. Presupuesto is not used as an adjective.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Presupuesto
Using presupuesto as an adjective
Incorrect: Un vuelo presupuesto.
Correct: Un vuelo económico.
In Spanish, presupuesto is a noun (the budget, the estimate), not an adjective. English freely uses 'budget' as a modifier (budget flight), but Spanish requires económico, barato, or de bajo costo.
Wrong gender article
Incorrect: La presupuesto está lista.
Correct: El presupuesto está listo.
Presupuesto is masculine: el presupuesto. The adjective must also agree: listo (not lista). The -o ending is a strong hint for masculine gender.
Lock in Budget Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Presupuesto used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using presupuesto in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Tenemos que ajustar el presupuesto antes de fin de mes. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Budget in Spanish
- How do you say budget in Spanish?
- Budget in Spanish is presupuesto (preh-soo-PWES-toh). It works for financial budgets, government spending plans, and cost estimates: El presupuesto anual (the annual budget).
- How do you say 'to budget' as a verb in Spanish?
- The verb is presupuestar: Necesitamos presupuestar los gastos del viaje (We need to budget the travel expenses). It is a regular -ar verb.
- How do you say budget-friendly in Spanish?
- Use económico/a (affordable), barato/a (cheap), or de bajo costo / de bajo presupuesto (low-cost / low-budget). Spanish does not use presupuesto as an adjective modifier the way English uses 'budget.'