fragmento
nounCEFR B2
What does “fragmento” mean in English?
fragment, extract
fragment, extract (a small part selected from a larger whole; fragmento de texto; reconstruir a partir de fragmentos)
Example sentences
Los arqueólogos reconstruyeron la inscripción a partir de un pequeño fragmento cerámico hallado en la excavación.
The archaeologists reconstructed the inscription from a small pottery fragment found in the excavation.
El examen incluía un fragmento de la novela para que los alumnos respondieran preguntas de comprensión lectora.
The exam included a passage from the novel for students to answer reading comprehension questions.
Sólo se conservan algunos fragmentos del discurso original; el resto se perdió en el incendio del archivo.
Only a few fragments of the original speech survive; the rest were lost in the fire that destroyed the archive.
How to use it
El fragmento (noun, masculine) means 'fragment, extract, piece' — a small part broken off from or selected from a larger whole. At B2 it appears in literary (text extract), scientific (physical fragment), and archaeological contexts. Core collocations: un fragmento de texto/novela/poema; fragmento óseo (bone fragment); fragmento cerámico (pottery shard); leer un fragmento; reconstruir a partir de fragmentos. The verb is fragmentar(se). Distinguish from trozo (piece — more informal/physical) and extracto (extract — implies deliberate selection, often chemical or literary).
Common mistake
Don't confuse fragmento (fragment — part of a whole) with párrafo (paragraph — structural unit of text). In literary analysis, fragmento is the standard term for a text extract used for examination or commentary. Fragmentarse = to fragment/break apart.