interés
nounCEFR B1
What does “interés” mean in English?
1.interest
interest (financial) — charge or return on borrowed/saved money; usually plural: los intereses; el tipo de interés = interest rate
2.interest
interest (attentional/motivational) — curiosity, enthusiasm; tengo interés en; singular el interés for this sense
Example sentences
Los intereses aplicados al préstamo personal son más elevados que los de una hipoteca, por lo que conviene comparar las ofertas de distintas entidades antes de firmar.
The interest rates applied to a personal loan are higher than those on a mortgage, so it is advisable to compare the offers of different institutions before signing.
¿Podría indicarme cuál es el tipo de interés aplicable a este producto en caso de que el cliente no haga frente a las cuotas mensuales?
Could you tell me what interest rate would apply to this product in the event that the client fails to meet the monthly instalments?
Si mantiene el dinero en esta cuenta de ahorro durante doce meses, recibirá los intereses generados al final del período sin ninguna penalización por retirada anticipada.
If you keep the money in this savings account for twelve months, you will receive the interest generated at the end of the period without any early withdrawal penalty.
How to use it
Los intereses in the financial sense are interest charged on a loan or earned on savings — the cost of borrowing money. In this sense it is nearly always plural in Spanish: los intereses del préstamo, pagar intereses. The singular el interés exists but is typically used for the interest-curiosity sense (tengo interés en aprender) or the interest rate in general (el tipo de interés = the interest rate). These two senses — financial and psychological/attentional — are polysemous and must be learned as separate entries at B1.
Common mistake
Intereses (plural, financial) vs interés (singular, curiosity/attention): the plural is the reliable marker for the financial sense in Spanish. El tipo de interés = interest rate (a key fixed phrase). Do not confuse with the English false association 'interesting' (interesante) — los intereses has nothing to do with being interesting.