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: 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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