escenario
nounCEFR B1
What does “escenario” mean in English?
1.stage — the raised platform in a theatre or concert hall where performers act or play
2.scenario or setting — a hypothetical or actual situation; un escenario de crisis = a crisis scenario; el escenario político = the political landscape
Example sentences
Cuando los actores salieron al escenario, el público se puso en pie y los aplaudió durante varios minutos sin que hubiera empezado todavía la obra.
When the actors came out on stage, the audience stood up and applauded them for several minutes even before the play had started.
El escenario estaba completamente desnudo: no había decorado, solo luz y los actores con sus gestos y sus voces.
The stage was completely bare: there was no set, just light and the actors with their gestures and voices.
En un escenario ideal, la sala contaría con butacas para más de dos mil espectadores y contaría con la mejor acústica de la región.
In an ideal scenario, the hall would have seats for over two thousand spectators and would have the best acoustics in the region.
How to use it
Escenario is a masculine noun (el escenario) with two important B1 senses. (1) Stage — the physical platform in a theatre, concert hall, or other performance venue where performers act. (2) Scenario / setting — a hypothetical or real situation or setting: un escenario de crisis (a crisis scenario), el escenario político actual. At B1 in the leisure-and-arts domain the stage sense is primary. Key collocations: salir al escenario (to come on stage), subir al escenario (to go up on stage), estar en el escenario, el escenario estaba decorado. The word decorado (stage set) is a useful extension.
Common mistake
Escenario (the stage) contrasts with el escenario (the scenario/setting) — same word, context disambiguates. En el escenario is the standard locative phrase (not *sobre el escenario for 'on stage', though 'sobre' is occasionally used in poetic contexts). In casual speech, el escenario is often shortened to 'el stage' (anglicism) in festival contexts — use escenario in formal writing.