congreso
nounCEFR B2
What does “congreso” mean in English?
congress —
congress — (1) the lower house of parliament or the legislature; (2) a large multi-day professional or academic gathering (el Congreso de los Diputados, un congreso científico)
Example sentences
El proyecto de ley fue aprobado por el Congreso con una mayoría más ajustada de lo esperado.
The bill was passed by Congress with a slimmer majority than expected.
Más de dos mil especialistas se dieron cita en el congreso internacional de neurociencia.
More than two thousand specialists gathered at the international neuroscience congress.
La oposición anunció que bloquearía cualquier reforma que no pasara por el congreso.
The opposition announced it would block any reform that did not go through congress.
How to use it
El congreso has two main B2 senses: (1) the lower house of parliament (el Congreso de los Diputados in Spain, or the legislative branch in many Latin American countries); (2) a large professional or academic gathering (un congreso internacional de medicina). Capital C Congreso is used for the institutional body; lowercase for gatherings. Key phrases: el debate en el congreso, aprobar/rechazar en el congreso, un congreso científico, clausurar el congreso. In Latin American countries, el Congreso often refers to the entire legislature (bicameral or not).
Common mistake
El Congreso (institutional body) vs el Parlamento (parliament — broader term or specifically the European Parliament). In Spain, Congreso + Senado = Cortes Generales (parliament). In Latin America, Congreso often means the whole legislature. Academic sense: un congreso (conference/congress) vs una conferencia (conference/lecture): a congreso is multi-day and multi-speaker; a conferencia can be a single talk.