Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Neighbor in Spanish: Vecino, Vecina, and How to Use Them
Vecino · noun (masculine/feminine) · beh-SEE-noh
Neighbor in Spanish is vecino for a man and vecina for a woman. The masculine plural vecinos can refer to a mixed group of neighbors.
Vecino is beh-SEE-noh; the c before i sounds like a soft s in Latin America.
Mi vecino siempre me saluda por la mañana.
My neighbor always greets me in the morning.
Neighbor in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for neighbor, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| vecino | neighbor | beh-SEE-noh | Default, widely understood |
| vecina | neighbor | female neighbor | |
| vecinos | neighbor | neighbors (mixed group) |
How Native Speakers Use Vecino
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
A friendly neighbor
Mi vecino siempre me saluda por la mañana.
My neighbor always greets me in the morning.
Vecino refers to a male neighbor here.
Female neighbors
Las vecinas del edificio organizaron una fiesta.
The neighbors in the building organized a party.
Vecinas marks an all-female group.
How long
Somos vecinos desde hace diez años.
We have been neighbors for ten years.
Desde hace expresses duration up to now.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Vecino
Forgetting gender agreement
Incorrect: María es mi vecino.
Correct: María es mi vecina.
Vecino describes a male neighbor and vecina a female one, so the ending must match the person you mean.
Confusing vecino with cercano
Incorrect: El supermercado vecino abre tarde.
Correct: El supermercado cercano abre tarde.
Vecino is mainly for people who live nearby, while a nearby place or thing is usually cercano.
Lock in Neighbor 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 Vecino used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using vecino in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Mi vecino siempre me saluda por la mañana. 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 Neighbor in Spanish
- How do you say neighbor in Spanish?
- Neighbor in Spanish is vecino (beh-SEE-noh) for a man and vecina for a woman, with vecinos covering a mixed group.
- Does vecino mean neighborhood too?
- No, the neighborhood itself is el barrio or la vecindad, while vecino is the person and vecindad is the collective community.
- Can I use vecino to address someone?
- Yes, calling someone vecino or vecina works as a warm, informal greeting, much like saying neighbor in English: buenos días, vecina.