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library and Spanish librería
In English
library
a place to borrow books for free
In Spanish
librería
tienda de libros
Spanish "librería" means: bookstore
Why they get mixed up In Spanish, "librería" is where you buy books, so the brain connects it to "library." In English, the distinction between selling and lending books created separate words: "bookstore" for the shop and "library" for the lending institution.
If you want to say...
- a place to buy booksuna librería
- a place to borrow booksuna biblioteca
- the person who works at the libraryun bibliotecario o una bibliotecaria
Examples
I study at the library every afternoon.
Estudio en la biblioteca todas las tardes.
She borrowed three books from the library.
Ella sacó tres libros prestados de la biblioteca.
The library closes at eight o'clock.
La biblioteca cierra a las ocho.
You need a card to borrow books from the library.
Necesitas un carnet para sacar libros prestados de la biblioteca.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Estudio en la librería todas las tardes.
Correct: Estudio en la biblioteca todas las tardes.
A librería sells books. You usually cannot sit and borrow them there, so it is not the place to study.
Incorrect: Voy a sacar un libro prestado de la librería.
Correct: Voy a sacar un libro prestado de la biblioteca.
Borrowing books for free happens at a biblioteca, never at a librería.
Phrases you will hear
- a public libraryuna biblioteca pública
- a library cardun carnet de biblioteca
- borrow a book from the librarysacar un libro prestado de la biblioteca
- return a book to the librarydevolver un libro a la biblioteca
- a school libraryuna biblioteca escolar
- a photo libraryuna biblioteca de fotos
In a conversation
- A:
Where are you going?
¿A dónde vas?
- B:
To the library. I need to return two books.
A la biblioteca. Tengo que devolver dos libros.
- A:
Can you also buy me a notebook?
¿Me compras también un cuaderno?
- B:
The library doesn't sell notebooks. I'll go to the bookstore later.
La biblioteca no vende cuadernos. Iré a la librería más tarde.
Test yourself
Where can you borrow books for free?
To remember it
At the library you borrow books for free. To buy them, you go to a "bookstore."
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "librería" mean?
Spanish "librería" means "bookstore". It looks like the English "library", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "library" means "a place to borrow books for free".
Does English "library" mean the same as Spanish "librería"?
In Spanish, "librería" is where you buy books, so the brain connects it to "library." In English, the distinction between selling and lending books created separate words: "bookstore" for the shop and "library" for the lending institution.