audiencia
nounCEFR B2
What does “audiencia” mean in English?
audience —
audience — (1) the viewership or readership of a media outlet (audiencia millonaria; índice de audiencia); (2) a formal judicial or official hearing (audiencia pública/judicial)
Example sentences
El debate electoral captó una audiencia récord de doce millones de espectadores en toda la franja horaria.
The electoral debate attracted a record audience of twelve million viewers across the entire time slot.
El Congreso convocó una audiencia pública para escuchar a los expertos antes de aprobar la nueva legislación.
Congress convened a public hearing to hear from experts before passing the new legislation.
How to use it
La audiencia (noun, feminine) has two primary B2 meanings: (1) the audience or viewership of a media outlet (la audiencia de un programa/un periódico); (2) a formal judicial or official hearing (una audiencia judicial/parlamentaria). Key collocations: captar/perder audiencia; audiencia millonaria/masiva; celebrar una audiencia; audiencia pública. Don't confuse with espectadores (live audience at a venue) or público (general public/audience).
Common mistake
Don't use audiencia for a live theatre/cinema audience — that is público or espectadores. The media sense (TV viewership) is the most common B2 usage. 'Ratings' = índice de audiencia or audiencia (without adjective). 'A court hearing' = audiencia or vista (oral).