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May 4, 2021 by Michelle Margaret Fajkus Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Vocabulary for Wealth and Poverty in Spanish

Talking about wealth and poverty in Spanish requires a wide range of vocabulary. While these two concepts are broader than the realm of money (for example: poverty of spirit), I’ve focused mainly on the financial aspects of wealth and poverty here.

This post provides you with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and example sentences that put them all together—all related to wealth and poverty in Spanish—as well as some inspiring quotes related to the topic. 

See also: The Ultimate Vocabulary Guide to Money in Spanish

Vocabulary for Wealth in Spanish

One of the most common hypothetical questions in English is, “If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?” In Spanish, that same inquiry would be, Si tuvieras un millón de dólares, ¿qué harías con él?

Check out the below sections for words and phrases related to wealth in Spanish. 

Wealth in Spanish: Nouns

wealth, riches – la riqueza, el patrimonio

abundance – la abundancia

affluence – la afluencia, el bienestar

prosperity – la prosperidad

income – el ingreso

financial success – el éxito financiero, éxito económico

possessions, belongings – las posesiones

assets – los activos, los bienes

profit, gain – la ganancia

return – el rendimiento

investment – la inversión, la investidura

savings – los ahorros

net worth – el patrimonio neto, el valor neto

philanthropy – la filantropía

donation – la donación, el donativo

upper class – la clase alta 

upper-middle class – la clase media alta

middle class – la clase media, la burguesía

opportunity – la oportunidad

fortune – la fortuna

inheritance – la herencia, el patrimonio

wealth in spanish

Wealth in Spanish: Verbs

to earn – ganar

to save – ahorrar

to spend – gastar

to buy, to purchase – comprar

to shop – ir de compras

to invest – invertir

to donate – donar

to give – dar

to gift – regalar

to inherit – heredar

Wealth in Spanish: Adjectives

wealthy – adinerada/o

rich – rico/a

well-off – acomodado/a

generous – generoso/a

stingy, cheap – tacaño/a

privileged – privilegiado/a

luxury – de lujo

Expensive – caro/a

Fancy – lujoso/a

Example Sentences

La riqueza del país viene de sus recursos minerales.
The country’s wealth comes from its mineral resources. 

La empresa de mi familia creció y nuestro patrimonio también.
My family’s company grew and our wealth did too. 

Hay una gran abundancia de productos en el mercado.
There is a wealth of products on the market. 

Tengo algunos cuadros valiosos en mi posesión.
I have some valuable paintings in my possession.

Mis hijos heredarán todos mis activos.
My children will inherit all my assets. 

Gracias al aumento de ventas, la ganancia fue considerable.
Due to the increased sales, the gain was considerable. 

Las inversiones de la compañía tuvieron un buen rendimiento.
The company’s investments had a good return. 

Mucha gente adinerada tiene una casa en la playa.
Many wealthy people own a beach house. 

Los acreedores privilegiados de la empresa recibieron la mayor parte del dinero. 
The preferred creditors of the company received most of the money.

Vocabulary for Poverty in Spanish

Poverty is an unfortunate fact of life in modern society. According to World Vision, approximately 1.89 billion people (36% of the world’s population) in 2020 lived in extreme poverty. Nearly half the population in developing countries lived on less than $1.25 a day.

Use the vocabulary below to discuss poverty in Spanish.

Poverty in Spanish: Nouns

poverty – la pobreza

struggle – la lucha

lack – la falta

scarcity, dearth – la escasez 

welfare – la previsión

debt – la deuda 

lower class – la clase baja

suffering – el sufrimiento

shack – la choza

slum – el tugurio, la barriada

shelter – el refugio

malnutrition – la desnutrición

Poverty in Spanish: Verbs

to lack – faltar, carecer

to need – necesitar

to lose – perder

to pay – pagar

to borrow – prestar

to beg – mendigar, suplicar

to share – compartir

to suffer – sufrir

Poverty in Spanish: Adjectives

cheap – barato/a

discounted – descontado/a

poor – pobre 

low-income – bajo ingreso

lacking – faltante

underprivileged – desfavorecido/a

disadvantaged – desventajado/a

meager – magro/a

simple – sencillo, simple

homeless – sin techo, vagabundo/a

extreme – extremo/a

low-income housing – la vivienda social 

low-income households – los hogares pobres 

low-income countries – los países pobres 

Example Sentences

The bank seized the assets of the debtor. 
El banco embargó los bienes del deudor.

Un sistema de previsión social proporciona ayuda a familias necesitadas.
A social welfare system provides assistance to needy families. 

Antes de ser adoptada, la huérfana mendigaba en las calles.
Before being adopted, the orphan used to beg on the streets. 

Vi a niños con grave desnutrición y necesitados de cuidados sanitarios, así como de alimentos y de un cobijo adecuado.
I saw children with serious malnutrition and in need of health care, as well as food and proper shelter.

Wealth and Poverty in Spanish: Dichos y Frases

Wealth and poverty are common themes in life, and in quotations (both anonymous sayings and lines from famous people). Take a look at the selection below to expand your Spanish vocabulary on this topic.

Mucho dinero y poca educación es la peor combinación.
Lots of money and little education is the worst combination.

No hay ningún rico, que entienda a un pobre.
There is no rich person who understands a poor person.

Ganancia inocente, no la verás fácilmente.
Harmless profit doesn’t come easy.

No hay virtud y nobleza, que no abata la pobreza.
There is no virtue or nobility that does not abase poverty.

El dinero es como un brazo o una pierna: o se usa o se pierde. (Henry Ford)
Money is like an arm or a leg; use it or lose it.

Famous Quotes

Recuerda que el tiempo es dinero. (Benjamin Franklin)
Remember that time is money.

La riqueza consiste mucho más en el disfrute que en la posesión. (Aristóteles)
Wealth consists much more in enjoyment than in possession.

¡Hay tantas cosas en la vida más importantes que el dinero! ¡Pero cuestan tanto! (Groucho Marx)
There are many things in life more important than money but they cost so much money!

El que está satisfecho con su parte es rico. (Lao Tsé)
The person who is satisfied with their lot is rich.

No estimes el dinero en más ni en menos de lo que vale, porque es un buen siervo y un mal amo. (Alejando Dumas)
Do not value money for any more nor any less than its worth; it is a good servant but a bad master.

Al poseedor de las riquezas no le hace dichoso el tenerlas, sino el gastarlas, y no el gastarlas como quiera, sino el saberlas gastar. (Miguel de Cervantes)
The possessor of wealth is not made happy by possessing it but by spending it, and not by spending it as he pleases but by knowing how to spend it well.

What Makes a Person Rich?

¿Qué piensas? What do you think? Are the definitions of wealth and poverty broader than the amount of money one has (or lacks) in their bank account? What other vocabulary words, phrases, or quotations should be added to this lesson? Leave a comment, and let’s start a conversation.

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Michelle Margaret Fajkus
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Michelle Margaret Fajkus
Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.
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