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noun

la hierba

grass

Es una planta pequeña y verde que crece en el suelo y suele usarse en la cocina o en jardines.

Definition & meaning

Hierba is a feminine Spanish noun with several related meanings:

  1. Grass — green plants with soft stems that grow naturally or cover the ground.

    • La hierba está mojada. — “The grass is wet.”

  2. Herb — a plant used for cooking, medicine, or its fragrance.

    • Esta hierba se usa para preparar té. — “This herb is used to make tea.”

  3. Weed or wild plant — a plant growing where it is not wanted, especially in a garden or cultivated area. The meaning depends on context.

It can also refer informally to marijuana, especially in some varieties of colloquial Spanish, though this meaning is context-dependent.

Grammar & Word origin

  • Gender: feminine
  • Singular:
  • Plural:
  • Pronunciation: approximately YEHR-bah
  • The initial h is silent.
  • The word comes from Latin herba, meaning “grass,” “herb,” or “plant.”

The spelling ie is a change from the Latin vowel pattern and is also found in related forms such as , meaning “mint.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • — grass used especially as pasture or animal feed; it is more specific than .
  • — lawn or carefully maintained grass; it generally implies a cultivated, attractive surface.
  • — weeds or unwanted vegetation; it has a negative meaning that does not necessarily have.
  • — plant in general; usually suggests a smaller, soft-stemmed plant.

There is no exact general antonym for . Depending on the context, contrasting terms may include:

  • — desert, especially a place with little or no vegetation.
  • — bare ground without grass or plants.

Common phrases & collocations

  • — green grass
  • — dry grass or dried herb
  • — to cut or mow the grass
  • — to pull up grass or weeds
  • — medicinal herbs
  • — aromatic or culinary herbs
  • — bad weed; sometimes used figuratively for a troublesome person or influence
  • — to grow very quickly or abundantly

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Examples

La hierba del jardín se veía muy verde después de la lluvia.noun

The grass in the garden looked very green after the rain.

Veo la hierba verde en el jardín.noun

I see the green grass in the garden.

Me gusta sentarme en la hierba.noun

I like to sit on the grass.

La hierba es muy suave.noun

The grass is very soft.

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