Bravo/brava is an adjective with various meanings in Spanish. We use it when we want to say someone is brave or courageous. In some Spanish-speaking countries, however,bravo/bravais alsoused as a synonym forangry, mad or upset.This adjectivecan also helpus describe the world around us by meaningroughor fierce. Finally, we also use bravo when we want to acknowledge someone'swork in a positive way.
Usingbravo/brava to describe someone
As mentioned above,bravois synonym forbrave or courageous. Let's take a look at the following sentence:
Siendo el más bravo de todos, Miguel fue el primero que saltó del trampolín.
Being the bravest of all, Miguel was the firstto jump off the diving board.
In some countries such as, for example, Colombia,bravo/bravais used when we want to say that someone is angry or upset:
Kevin, su novia está muy brava. Deb'...
Kevin, your girlfriend is verymad. You nee'...
En este contexto, "brava" es sinónimo de enojada o enfadada.
In this context, "brava," is a synonym of mad or angry.
Captions 17-18, Carlos comenta - Los Años Maravillosos - Forma de hablar
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Bravofor describing the world around us
Bravo is also a very useful word for describing nature. For instance, bravo is a very common adjective when talking about a rough or choppy sea or river. Similarly, when talking about animals, bravo/brava can describe an animal that is fierce.
El agua estaba muy brava, y soplaba un viento muy fuerte.
The water was very choppy, and a very strong wind was blowing.
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¡Bravo! Well done!
Have you ever been in a theater where people shout "bravo"at the endof a play? Well, in Spanish we also use bravothe same way. However, we also say bravo/brava when we want totell to someone theydid something good, or did a good job. In other words,we usebravo/bravato say "well done" or "good for you."
Apart from that, we also use bravo/brava invarious specific situations. For example, when you have to do somethingyou don't want to do, youcan say you did it "a la brava" (by force). We also usebrava/bravoto express a very strong desire:
¡Oiga, que sed tan brava!
Hey, what a strong thirst!
Caption 52, Kikirikí - Agua - Part 1
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Bravo/bravais also used in the context of sports:
- Barra brava or barrabrava (a group of hooligans in football/soccer)
- "Hacer barra"(to cheer up someone or a team)
That's all for today. We hope this lesson helped you to expand your vocabulary. And don’t forget tosend us your feedback and suggestions.
