corriente dominante
nounCEFR B2
What does “corriente dominante” mean in English?
mainstream, dominant current
mainstream, dominant current (the prevailing set of ideas or practices accepted by the majority; incorporarse a la corriente dominante)
Example sentences
Lo que hace veinte años era una idea radical se ha incorporado sin dificultad a la corriente dominante del pensamiento económico.
What twenty years ago was a radical idea has been absorbed without difficulty into the mainstream of economic thought.
Muchos artistas contemporáneos prefieren mantenerse al margen de la corriente dominante para preservar su libertad creativa.
Many contemporary artists prefer to remain on the margins of the mainstream to preserve their creative freedom.
How to use it
La corriente dominante translates the English concept 'mainstream' — the prevailing set of ideas, values, or practices that constitute the accepted centre of a culture or discourse at a given time. It is always a noun phrase (never an adjective in Spanish the way 'mainstream' can be in English). Key collocations: incorporarse a la corriente dominante, alejarse de la corriente dominante, estar fuera de la corriente dominante, cuestionar la corriente dominante. Important: Spanish does not have a single-word equivalent of 'mainstream' — using *mainstream directly in formal writing is an Anglicism to avoid at B2. Related: el pensamiento dominante, el discurso hegemónico (stronger, more critical register).
Common mistake
Do not write *mainstream in formal Spanish essays — it reads as an Anglicism. La corriente dominante is the standard equivalent. Note that corriente dominante is always a noun phrase; to say 'a mainstream opinion' use una opinión mayoritaria or una postura dentro de la corriente dominante.