Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Patience in Spanish
Paciencia · noun · pah-SYEHN-syah
The Spanish word for patience is 'paciencia,' a feminine noun that describes the ability to endure difficulties or wait calmly. It appears in common expressions like 'ten paciencia' (have patience) and 'se me acabó la paciencia' (I've run out of patience). The related adjective 'paciente' means patient and also serves as the noun for a medical patient.
Paciencia is pronounced pah-SYEHN-syah. The stress falls on the second syllable 'cien.' The 'ci' before a vowel creates a 'sy' sound in Latin America or a 'th' sound in Spain.
La paciencia es clave para aprender un nuevo idioma.
Patience is key to learning a new language.
How Native Speakers Use Paciencia
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Encouragement
Ten paciencia, los resultados llegarán pronto.
Have patience, the results will come soon.
Encouraging someone who is anxious about waiting.
Losing patience
Se me acabó la paciencia con esta situación.
I've run out of patience with this situation.
Expressing frustration after a prolonged difficulty.
Virtue
Mi abuela siempre dice que la paciencia es una virtud.
My grandmother always says patience is a virtue.
Passing down wisdom about the value of patience.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Paciencia
Wrong gender article
Incorrect: El paciencia se aprende con el tiempo.
Correct: La paciencia se aprende con el tiempo.
Paciencia is a feminine noun ending in '-ia,' so it takes the article 'la,' not 'el.'
Confusing paciente (patient) with paciencia
Incorrect: Necesito más paciente.
Correct: Necesito más paciencia.
Paciente is the adjective (patient) or noun (medical patient), while paciencia is the noun meaning the quality of being patient.
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Why word lists alone don't stick
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See Paciencia used by native speakers
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Common Questions About Patience in Spanish
- How do you say 'be patient' in Spanish?
- The most natural way to tell someone to be patient is 'ten paciencia' (informal tú form) or 'tenga paciencia' (formal usted form), using the verb tener (to have).
- What is the adjective form of paciencia?
- The adjective is 'paciente,' which does not change for gender — you say 'él es paciente' and 'ella es paciente' the same way.
- How do you say 'I'm losing patience' in Spanish?
- The idiomatic expression is 'se me está acabando la paciencia' or 'estoy perdiendo la paciencia,' both conveying growing frustration with a situation.