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Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Tuesday October 28, 2008
razón, noun:
reason
La razón parallels the two meanings of reason that English has. Most often it means the reason for doing something:
¿Cuál era la razón de su visita?
What was the reason for his visit?
When you’re explaining the reason why something happens, notice the structure la razón por la que:
Esta fue la razón por la que el gobierno intervino.
This was the reason the government intervened.
The other meaning of razón is reason meaning the mental faculty of being able to think things through. The famous Spanish painter Goya used the word in this meaning in the title of a celebrated and nightmarish engraving:
El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.
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