C2 · 50 words
Verse and metre in Spanish
Counting syllables, measure, rhyme, stanza — how a Spanish poem is built.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
El romance in this list is a ballad: eight-syllable lines, the even ones rhyming in assonance, sung for centuries before anybody wrote them down. It is not a love story — that is una historia de amor, or un romance only in the newspaper sense we lent back. And there is an older meaning still: el romance is the language itself, the one that grew out of Latin, so hablar en romance means to say a thing plainly, in the tongue everyone speaks rather than in the Latin of the learned.
The words
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Phrase (27)
el arte métricathe craft of building verse by counting syllablesPhraseC2
El arte métrica española cuenta sílabas, no acentos.Spanish metrical craft counts syllables, not stresses.
la línea de versothe line of verse, measured end to endPhraseC2
La línea de verso se mide de principio a fin.The line of verse is measured from beginning to end.
la sílaba métricathe syllable as the count sees it, not as grammar doesPhraseC2
La sílaba métrica no siempre coincide con la gramatical.The metrical syllable does not always match the grammatical one.
el hiato métricothe deliberate breaking of a merging of two vowelsPhraseC2
El hiato métrico rompe la sinalefa a propósito.Metrical hiatus breaks the merging on purpose.
la diéresis poéticathe splitting of a diphthong of two vowels to gain a syllablePhraseC2
La diéresis poética separa un diptongo para ganar una sílaba.Poetic diaeresis splits a diphthong to gain a syllable.
el verso agudothe line stressed on its last syllable, which counts one morePhraseC2
El verso agudo suma una sílaba al recuento.A line stressed on the last syllable adds one to the count.
el verso llanothe line stressed on its next-to-last syllable, which counts as it isPhraseC2
El verso llano no cambia el recuento.A line stressed on the next-to-last syllable leaves the count alone.
el verso esdrújulothe line stressed on its third-last syllable, which counts one lessPhraseC2
El verso esdrújulo resta una sílaba.A line stressed on the third-last syllable takes one away.
el arte menorthe verse of eight syllables or fewerPhraseC2
El arte menor llega hasta ocho sílabas.Minor verse goes up to eight syllables.
el arte mayorthe verse of nine syllables or morePhraseC2
El arte mayor empieza en nueve sílabas.Major verse begins at nine syllables.
la rima consonantethe rhyme that repeats every sound from the stressPhraseC2
La rima consonante repite todos los sonidos desde la tónica.Full rhyme repeats every sound from the stressed syllable on.
la rima asonantethe rhyme that repeats only the vowelsPhraseC2
La rima asonante solo repite las vocales.Assonant rhyme repeats only the vowels.
el verso sueltothe line left without a rhyme partner in the stanzaPhraseC2
El verso suelto queda sin pareja dentro de la estrofa.The unrhymed line is left without a partner inside the stanza.
el verso blancothe line that keeps the measure and drops the rhymePhraseC2
El verso blanco mide pero no rima.Blank verse has a measure but no rhyme.
el verso librethe line that drops both the measure and the rhymePhraseC2
El verso libre renuncia a medida y a rima.Free verse gives up measure and rhyme alike.
el esquema de rimathe rhyme pattern written out in lettersPhraseC2
El esquema de rima se anota con letras.The rhyme pattern is written down with letters.
la rima abrazadathe rhyme that encloses two lines between two othersPhraseC2
La rima abrazada encierra dos versos entre otros dos.Enclosing rhyme shuts two lines in between two others.
la rima cruzadathe rhyme that alternates two soundsPhraseC2
La rima cruzada alterna dos sonidos.Alternating rhyme takes two sounds in turn.
la rima pareadathe rhyme that joins the lines two by twoPhraseC2
La rima pareada junta versos de dos en dos.Couplet rhyme joins the lines two at a time.
la unidad estróficathe stanza defined by its lines and its rhymePhraseC2
La unidad estrófica se define por versos y rima.The stanza is defined by its lines and its rhyme.
la octava realthe stanza of eight eleven-syllable linesPhraseC2
La octava real tiene ocho endecasílabos.The octave has eight eleven-syllable lines.
el ritmo acentualthe rhythm made by where the stresses fallPhraseC2
El ritmo acentual marca dónde caen los golpes.Stress rhythm marks where the beats fall.
el acento estróficothe stress that closes a stanza, on the next-to-last syllablePhraseC2
El acento estrófico cae siempre en la penúltima sílaba.The closing stress of a stanza always falls on the next-to-last syllable.
el cómputo silábicothe counting of the syllables, done aloudPhraseC2
El cómputo silábico se hace en voz alta.Syllable counting is done out loud.
la escansión del versothe taking apart of a line to show where the voice leansPhraseC2
La escansión del verso muestra dónde se apoya la voz.Scanning a line shows where the voice leans.
la licencia poéticathe freedom a poet takes and the ear allowsPhraseC2
La licencia poética se justifica por el oído.Poetic licence justifies itself before the ear.
la prosa poéticathe prose that keeps the rhythm without the linePhraseC2
La prosa poética conserva el ritmo sin el verso.Poetic prose keeps the rhythm without the line.
Noun (f) (11)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
la sinalefathe merging of a final vowel with the next initial vowelNoun (f)C2
La sinalefa une la vocal final con la inicial siguiente.Synaloepha joins a final vowel to the initial one following.
la sinéresisthe merging of two vowels that grammar keeps apartNoun (f)C2
La sinéresis junta lo que la gramática separa.Syneresis joins what grammar separates.
la cesurathe break that cuts a long line in halfNoun (f)C2
La cesura parte el verso largo por la mitad.The caesura cuts the long line down the middle.
la redondillathe stanza of four eight-syllable lines with enclosing rhymeNoun (f)C2
La redondilla usa octosílabos con rima abrazada.The redondilla uses eight-syllable lines with enclosing rhyme.
la lirathe stanza mixing seven- and eleven-syllable linesNoun (f)C2
La lira combina versos de siete y once sílabas.The lira combines lines of seven and eleven syllables.
la silvathe free mixing of seven- and eleven-syllable linesNoun (f)C2
La silva alterna siete y once sin esquema fijo.The silva alternates seven and eleven with no fixed pattern.
la coplathe popular stanza that lives outside the bookNoun (f)C2
La copla vive fuera del libro.The copla lives outside the book.
la seguidillathe stanza alternating long and short linesNoun (f)C2
La seguidilla alterna versos largos y cortos.The seguidilla alternates long lines and short ones.
la églogathe poem that puts a lover's complaint in shepherds' mouthsNoun (f)C2
La égloga pone la queja amorosa en boca de pastores.The eclogue puts the lover's complaint in the mouths of shepherds.
la elegíathe poem that mourns one particular lossNoun (f)C2
La elegía llora una pérdida concreta.The elegy mourns one particular loss.
la odathe poem that celebrates in a raised voiceNoun (f)C2
La oda celebra con tono elevado.The ode celebrates in a raised tone.
Noun (m) (12)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
el octosílabothe eight-syllable line of the balladNoun (m)C2
El octosílabo es el verso del romance.The eight-syllable line is the line of the ballad.
el endecasílabothe eleven-syllable line that came from ItalyNoun (m)C2
El endecasílabo llegó de Italia y se quedó.The eleven-syllable line arrived from Italy and stayed.
el alejandrinothe fourteen-syllable line split into two halvesNoun (m)C2
El alejandrino se parte en dos mitades de siete.The alexandrine breaks into two halves of seven.
el heptasílabothe seven-syllable lineNoun (m)C2
El heptasílabo acompaña al endecasílabo en la lira.The seven-syllable line accompanies the eleven in the lira.
el hemistiquiothe half-line counted as a line of its ownNoun (m)C2
El hemistiquio se cuenta como verso independiente.The half-line is counted as a line in its own right.
el pareadothe two lines that rhyme with each otherNoun (m)C2
El pareado cabe entero en un refrán.A couplet fits whole into a proverb.
el tercetothe three lines chained by rhyme to the next threeNoun (m)C2
El terceto encadena su rima con el siguiente.The tercet chains its rhyme to the one that follows.
el cuartetothe four-line stanza that opens a sonnet twiceNoun (m)C2
El cuarteto abre el soneto dos veces.The quatrain opens the sonnet twice over.
el sonetothe poem of fourteen lines that turns at the ninthNoun (m)C2
El soneto gira en el noveno verso.The sonnet turns at the ninth line.
el romancethe ballad in eight-syllable lines rhyming in assonanceNoun (m)C2
El romance rima en asonante los versos pares.The ballad rhymes its even lines in assonance.
el romancerothe collection of those ballads, sung before it was writtenNoun (m)C2
El romancero se transmitió cantado antes que escrito.The ballad collection was passed on sung before it was written.
el villancicothe song that repeats its refrain after every stanzaNoun (m)C2
El villancico repite el estribillo tras cada copla.The villancico repeats the refrain after every stanza.
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This list belongs to Art and culture — 29 lists and 1 450 words that can also be practised as a whole.