corriente
nounCEFR B2
What does “corriente” mean in English?
current, draught
current, draught (a flow of water, air, or electricity; corriente eléctrica; corriente de pensamiento — stream of thought)
Example sentences
La corriente de pensamiento dominante en los años noventa apostaba por la desregulación como motor del crecimiento.
The dominant current of thought in the nineties bet on deregulation as the engine of growth.
Nadar contra la corriente requiere un esfuerzo enorme, pero es a veces la única forma de avanzar.
Swimming against the current requires enormous effort, but is sometimes the only way to move forward.
Una corriente de aire frío entró por la ventana mal cerrada y bajó la temperatura varios grados.
A draught of cold air came in through the poorly closed window and lowered the temperature by several degrees.
How to use it
La corriente has several B2 senses: (1) a current — water or air flow (la corriente del río, una corriente de aire); (2) an intellectual or cultural movement/trend (una corriente de pensamiento, las corrientes filosóficas); (3) electric current (la corriente eléctrica). At B2 sense (2) dominates in analytical and cultural discourse, and sense (1) is used metaphorically (ir contra la corriente — to go against the tide). Key collocations: seguir/nadar contra la corriente, la corriente dominante, las corrientes del pensamiento contemporáneo.
Common mistake
La corriente (current/draught/intellectual current) vs la tendencia (tendency/trend — more quantitative: la tendencia al alza) vs el movimiento (movement — organised collective action: el movimiento feminista). 'Draught' (British English) = corriente de aire (specifically the air-movement sense). Electric current = la corriente eléctrica. 'Go with the flow' = dejarse llevar por la corriente. Note: corriente is also an adjective meaning 'ordinary/common': una persona corriente.