razonable
adjectiveCEFR B2
What does “razonable” mean in English?
1.reasonable, fair
reasonable, fair (rationally defensible and proportionate; una postura/solución razonable)
2.reasonable, sensible
reasonable, sensible (una propuesta razonable / ser razonable — describing proposals or persons)
Example sentences
Desde mi punto de vista, es una postura razonable que tiene en cuenta los intereses de todas las partes.
From my point of view, it's a reasonable position that takes the interests of all parties into account.
Sería razonable exigir más transparencia antes de aprobar una medida de este calado.
It would be reasonable to demand more transparency before approving a measure of this significance.
Su posición me parece razonable en líneas generales, aunque discrepo en algunos puntos concretos.
Their position seems reasonable to me broadly speaking, although I disagree on some specific points.
How to use it
Razonable means 'reasonable' in the sense of rationally defensible, fair, and proportionate. At B2 it functions as a hedging adjective that grants partial approval while leaving room for reservation: 'Es una postura razonable' = it has merit, even if I don't fully endorse it. Collocates naturally with: propuesta, solución, postura, precio, plazo. Don't confuse with racional (rational, i.e. based on reason) — razonable implies also fairness and appropriateness, closer to 'sensible'. The adverb razonablemente ('reasonably', 'fairly') is equally useful at this level.
Common mistake
Razonable and racional are close but not interchangeable. Racional = based on pure logic (a rational being, a rational argument). Razonable = sensible, fair, proportionate (a reasonable request, a reasonable price). 'It's reasonable to expect X' translates as 'es razonable esperar X', not 'es racional'. The adverb razonablemente is useful in writing: 'se puede razonablemente concluir que…'.