/foɾˈmal/
Translation
formal
Word origin
From Latin formalis ('relating to form'), from forma ('shape, form').
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- formalis
- English cognates
- formal, form
Grammar
Examples
.
The dinner was a very formal occasion.
.
You need a formal suit for the interview.
.
She wrote a formal letter to the director.
¿ tono ?
Is such a formal tone necessary between friends?
.
The guests were wearing formal clothes.
Used in
Stories
(1)Grammar articles
(41)Spanish Advanced Grammar (C1-C2): The Constructions That Sound Native
Spanish Articles: Definite vs Indefinite, Gender, Number, and When English Doesn't Use One
Spanish Causative Verbs: hacer, dejar, mandar + Infinitive (me hizo esperar, le hice arreglar el coche)
Spanish Grammar Cheatsheet: The Essentials, One Page
Spanish Text Cohesion and Style: signposting, avoiding repetition, en resumen
Spanish Compound Tenses: the Future Perfect and Past Anterior (habré hablado, hube hablado)
Spanish Verb Conjugation: The Complete Rules with Examples
Spanish Connectors of Cause and Consequence: porque, ya que, por lo tanto, así que
Spanish Connectors of Addition and Contrast: además, sin embargo, en cambio
Spanish Formal Commands: usted and ustedes
Spanish Future Tense: ir a + Infinitive and the Inflectional Future
Gustar and Verbs Like It: Why Spanish Says the Coffee Pleases You
Spanish Fixed Similes: dormir como un tronco, más bueno que el pan, terco como una mula
Spanish Time and Frequency Phrases: de vez en cuando, a menudo, de repente, poco a poco
The Spanish Imperfect Subjunctive: How to Form It (the -ra and -se Endings)
Spanish Slang and Chat: decoding tio, guay, o sea, xq (the informal register)
Spanish Intensifiers and Downtoners: muy, -ísimo, super, un poco, más bien
Spanish Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2): The Things That Stop You at the Plateau
The Spanish Neuter lo (lo bueno, lo que, lo de)
Spanish Nosotros Commands: the 'Let's...' Form
Spanish Object Pronouns: Direct, Indirect, Order and Position
The Passive se and the Impersonal se in Spanish (se venden casas, se habla español)
The Passive with ser in Spanish (fue escrito por, fueron construidas)
Spanish Politeness: Softening Requests (¿Podría...?, ¿Te importaría...?, quisiera)
Spanish Possessive Pronouns: el mío, el tuyo, el suyo and the Long Possessives
Spanish Possessives: mi, tu, su and Why Agreement Trips Beginners
Spanish Prepositional Pronouns (para mí, conmigo, entre tú y yo)
Spanish Present Perfect: he hablado, ha vivido, hemos visto
Spanish Pronoun Order: Indirect Before Direct, and the le-to-se Rule
Spanish Punctuation and Capitalisation: the opening ¿ and ¡, lowercase lunes and español
Spanish Quantifiers: mucho, poco, demasiado, todo, cada (mucha gente vs trabaja mucho)
Spanish Proverbs (Refranes): Más vale tarde que nunca, A quien madruga Dios le ayuda
Spanish Regional Grammar: voseo (vos tenés), ustedes, and preterite vs perfect
Spanish Vocabulary: Spain vs Latin America (coche vs carro, móvil vs celular, zumo vs jugo)
Spanish Register: tu vs usted, vosotros vs ustedes (and how formal to be)
Advanced Spanish Relative Pronouns: el que, el cual, lo cual and cuyo
Spanish Relative Pronouns: que, quien, lo que, donde and cuando
Reported Questions and Commands in Spanish (me preguntó si, me dijo que viniera)
Si Clauses in Spanish: Real and Unreal Conditions (si llueve, si tuviera, si hubiera)
Spanish Verbal Periphrases: acabar de, llevar, volver a, seguir + verb
Spanish Word Order: SVO, Pro-Drop and the Five Rules That Cover 90% of Sentences
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Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 70.