Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Sunday August 3, 2008

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ordenado, adjective:
tidy; organized

Ordenado is one of those Spanish words which, like tranquilo, mean one thing when used with ser, and another when used with estar. With estar the meaning is tidy, and you’re stating that something is tidy for the moment:

Tu habitación esta muy ordenada hoy, Carlos.
You’re room is very tidy today, Carlos.

With ser the meaning is often organized, and you’re stating that this is a permanent quality:

Es una persona sumamente ordenada.
He’s a supremely organized person.

Of course, organized people are usually tidy, so una persona ordenada can also mean a tidy person.

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