These similar-looking words express different ideas, so context matters when describing someone.

The idea

Use embarazada for pregnancy and avergonzada or avergonzado for a feeling of embarrassment or shame.

Examples

  • Ana está embarazada.Ana is pregnant.
  • Luis está avergonzado por el error.Luis feels embarrassed about the mistake.
  • Marta se sintió avergonzada por el comentario.Marta felt embarrassed by the comment.
  • Mi hermana está embarazada.My sister is pregnant.
  • El niño parece avergonzado.The boy looks embarrassed.
  • Elena dice que está avergonzada.Elena says she is embarrassed.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

The English word embarrassed looks like embarazada but has a different meaning; check adjective agreement as well.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the word meaning pregnant. Ana está ___. (embarazada / avergonzada)

    Show answer or example answer

    embarazada

    Embarazada describes pregnancy in this sentence.

  2. Choose the masculine adjective for feeling embarrassed. Luis está ___ por el error. (avergonzado / embarazado)

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    avergonzado

    Avergonzado describes a man’s feeling of embarrassment.

  3. Choose the feminine adjective for feeling embarrassed. Marta está ___ por el comentario. (avergonzada / embarazada)

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    avergonzada

    Avergonzada describes a woman’s feeling of embarrassment.

Use it today

Choose the word that matches each clearly described situation and the person’s grammatical form.