How do you say "math" in Spanish? This is a question even native speakers ask themselves. The reason is that there are two terms that people use to say "mathematics" in Spanish. Let's find out which term you should use and explore some of the most basic math terms in Spanish. 

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How do you say "mathematics" in Spanish?

Matemática and its plural form matemáticas are the two valid terms you can use when talking about the noun that refers to "the science of numbers, forms, amounts, and their relationships." Let's see a couple of examples:

matemática

Vos te puedes equivocar en la matemática también.

You can make mistakes in math too.

Caption 19, Yago - 11 Prisión

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matemáticas

Esta mañana he resuelto el problema de matemáticas.

This morning I solved the math problem.

Caption 55, Lecciones con Carolina - Participios irregulares

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Yo tenía que responder exámenes de matemáticas.

I had to answer math tests.

Caption 34, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 7

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There are a couple of things worth mentioning. First of all, keep in mind that the plural form matemáticas tends to be used more frequently than the singular form. Second of all, you don't need to use capital letters for any of these two terms. Now, let's review some useful vocabulary related to math in Spanish.

Basic math terms in Spanish

Basic mathematical operations

Let's see how to say the most basic math operations in Spanish:

Addition (Adición or suma)

Substraction (Sustracción or resta)

Multiplication (Multiplicación)

Division (División)

And how about the verbs that you use to indicate those basic operations? Let's listen to our friend Ester from El Aula Azul:

Tienes números, tienes que sumar,

You have numbers, you have to add,

tienes que restar, multiplicar, dividir.

you have to subtract, to multiply, to divide.

Captions 4-5, El Aula Azul - Piensa rápido

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Now, let's see how to express these operations with some examples:

1 +1 = one plus one (uno más uno)

2 - 1 = two minus one (dos menos uno)

2 x 2 = two times two (dos por dos)

4 ÷ 2 = four divided by two (cuatro dividido dos)

Math terms we use in everyday life

There are many math terms we use every day even when we are not talking about mathematics. Let's look at some of these terms:

Mi escultura es la solución a una ecuación.

My sculpture is the solution to an equation.

Caption 25, San Sebastián - Peine del viento

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Y ¿cuál es la temperatura promedio en tu pueblo?

And what's the average temperature in your town?

Caption 39, Cleer - Entrevista a Lila

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Producimos un doce coma seis por ciento más de residuos que la media Europea.

We produce twelve-point-six percent more waste than the average of Europe.

Caption 29, 3R - Campaña de reciclaje

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Ya ven uno y uno es igual a tres

Now you see one and one equals three

Caption 10, Jeremías - Uno y uno igual a tres

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Otra cosa im'... importante que tienes que calcular

Another im'... important thing that you have to calculate

además de todo ese movimiento.

in addition to all that movement.

Captions 64-65, El teatro. - Conversación con un doble de acción.

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Los números cardinales pueden ser simples o compuestos.

Cardinal numbers can be simple or compound.

Caption 11, Carlos explica - Los Números: Números Cardinales

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And that's it for today. If you want to learn more math in Spanish, we invite you to check out this useful English-Spanish glossary of terms and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.