Spanish · Emotions & Descriptions

"Short" in Spanish: bajo/a

bajo/a

Say it: BAH-hoh / BAH-hahadjective/ˈba.xo/, /ˈba.xa/

Note: length: corto/a

Short for height in Spanish is bajo or baja. Say Soy bajo. Length uses corto, not bajo.

Describing yourself

Soy bajo, así que pido asiento adelante.
I’m short, so I ask for a front seat.
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How to pronounce bajo/a

Say it

BAH-hoh / BAH-hah

/ˈba.xo/, /ˈba.xa/

BAH-hoh / BAH-hah. Soft j sound in bajo. Stress BAH.

"Short" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
bajoshort (height, masc.)

People and buildings.

bajashort (height, fem.)

Feminine form.

corto / cortashort (length)

Hair, pants, time.

más bajoshorter

Height comparison.

How to use bajo/a in real life

  1. 1Describing yourself

    Soy bajo, así que pido asiento adelante.

    I’m short, so I ask for a front seat.

    Soy bajo = height.

  2. 2Comparing friends

    Mi hermana es más baja que yo.

    My sister is shorter than I am.

    Baja agrees with hermana.

  3. 3Haircut talk

    Quiero el pelo corto, no bajo.

    I want short hair, not low/short height.

    Corto for length; bajo is height.

Mistakes English speakers make with bajo/a

Incorrect: Ella es bajo.

Correct: Ella es baja.

Agree gender: baja with ella.

Incorrect: Soy corto.

Correct: Soy bajo.

Height uses bajo. Corto is for length.

Good to know

Latin America keeps height (bajo) and length (corto) apart. Bajito is affection for kids. Buildings can be bajos too.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Picking seats for a group photo

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Te ves bajo en esa foto?

    Do you look short in that photo?

  2. You

    Un poco. Soy bajo de verdad.

    A bit. I really am short.

  3. ChatPal

    Ponte adelante si eres más bajo.

    Stand in front if you’re shorter.

  4. You

    Listo. Ahora todos salimos bien.

    Done. Now we all look fine.

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"Short" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Short" in Spanish

Height or length?

Bajo for height. Corto for length or time.

How does gender work?

Bajo (m.), baja (f.), bajos / bajas.

How do I say shorter?

Más bajo or más baja.

Short hair?

Pelo corto. Not pelo bajo.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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