ficción
nounCEFR B2
What does “ficción” mean in English?
fiction — imaginative or invented narrative; something false presented as real
fiction — imaginative or invented narrative; something false presented as real (la ficción literaria/televisiva; mantener la ficción de que)
Example sentences
La ficción literaria permite explorar escenarios sociales y morales inaccesibles mediante el estudio científico.
Literary fiction allows the exploration of social and moral scenarios inaccessible through scientific study.
Después de décadas de silencio, la ficción comenzó a abordar los traumas de la guerra civil española.
After decades of silence, fiction began to address the traumas of the Spanish Civil War.
Mantener la ficción de que todo marchaba bien se hizo insostenible cuando se publicaron los resultados financieros.
Maintaining the fiction that everything was going well became unsustainable when the financial results were published.
How to use it
La ficción (noun, feminine) means 'fiction' — imaginative/invented narrative (literature, film) or something false/invented presented as real. At B2 both senses are important. Core collocations: la ficción literaria/televisiva/cinematográfica; géneros de ficción; una obra de ficción; mantener la ficción (to maintain a pretence); la ficción de que... (the fiction that...). Related: lo ficticio (the fictitious), la fantasía (fantasy — more escapist), la mentira (lie — deliberate deception). Distinguish from la realidad (reality — the opposite).
Common mistake
Ficción is not limited to books — it applies to any invented narrative (TV series, film, etc.). 'Non-fiction' = no ficción or ensayo. Don't confuse with mentira (a specific lie — deliberate falsehood) or fantasia (fantasy — genre sense). La ficción de que requires the subjunctive when the fiction is presented as contrary to fact.