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boca

nounBeginnerHigh frequency

What does “boca” mean in English?

  1. mouth

Example sentences

  • Abre la boca, por favor.

    Open your mouth, please.

  • Cállate la boca.

    Be quiet (lit. shut your mouth).

  • El bebé duerme boca arriba.

    The baby sleeps face up.

How to use it

Boca means 'mouth'. Feminine: la boca. Used in many idioms — boca abajo ('upside down'), de boca en boca ('by word of mouth').

Common mistake

Use the article (la boca) with body parts, even when English uses a possessive: 'cierra la boca', not 'cierra tu boca'.

Topics

Related Beginner words

Reference

This entry’s teaching guidance follows A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (Butt, Benjamin & Moreira Rodríguez, Routledge), 8.