el acta
nounCEFR B2
What does “el acta” mean in English?
minutes, official record
minutes, official record (el acta de la reunión — the formal written record of what was discussed and decided; feminine noun taking el in singular)
Example sentences
La secretaria redactó el acta de la reunión y la distribuyó a todos los asistentes al día siguiente.
The secretary drafted the minutes of the meeting and distributed them to all attendees the following day.
Al inicio de cada reunión se aprueba el acta de la sesión anterior antes de pasar a los nuevos puntos.
At the start of each meeting, the minutes of the previous session are approved before moving to new items.
Quiero que conste en acta que me opuse a esta decisión desde el primer momento.
I want it to be on the record in the minutes that I opposed this decision from the very beginning.
How to use it
El acta (plural: las actas) means 'the minutes' — the official record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting. Despite ending in -a, it is a feminine noun that takes el (not la) in the singular because it begins with a stressed a- sound. Key collocations: redactar el acta (to draft the minutes), aprobar el acta (to approve the minutes at the next meeting), levantar acta (to take official minutes), constar en actas (to be on record in the minutes). Register: formal-institutional.
Common mistake
False gender: el acta is feminine but takes el in the singular (like el agua, el aula). The plural is las actas (feminine plural). This is one of the most common gender-article errors at B2. Don't say *'la acta' in the singular — el acta is the correct form. The expression levantar acta (to take official minutes/record) is a fixed institutional phrase that also appears in legal and notarial contexts.