capacidad
nounCEFR B2High frequency
What does “capacidad” mean in English?
capacity, capability
capacity, capability (potential or volume; la capacidad de adaptación; capacidad productiva)
Example sentences
La capacidad de escuchar activamente es tan importante como la de expresarse con claridad.
The capacity to listen actively is just as important as the capacity to express oneself clearly.
El hospital superó su capacidad durante la peor semana de la pandemia, lo que obligó a habilitar zonas adicionales.
The hospital exceeded its capacity during the worst week of the pandemic, forcing additional areas to be opened.
La capacidad productiva de la región se ha visto afectada por la falta de inversión en infraestructuras durante la última década.
The region's productive capacity has been affected by a lack of investment in infrastructure over the last decade.
How to use it
La capacidad (noun, feminine) means 'capacity, ability, capability'. At B2 it ranges from physical volume (la capacidad del estadio — the stadium's capacity) to abstract potential and institutional capability. Core collocations: la capacidad de + infinitive (capacity/ability to do); tener/desarrollar/ampliar capacidad; la capacidad de adaptación/de liderazgo/productiva; la capacidad instalada (installed capacity — economics); una persona de gran capacidad. Distinguish from habilidad (a specific trained skill) and aptitud (natural aptitude) — capacidad is broader, covering both potential and scale.
Common mistake
Capacidad (capacity/general potential) vs habilidad (specific skill) vs aptitud (natural aptitude): these form a semantic cluster. 'Capacity for' = capacidad para or capacidad de + infinitive — both are natural. 'Legal capacity' (to act in law) = capacidad jurídica or capacidad legal. Don't use *habilidad when meaning the physical or institutional scale of something.