What does listo in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word listo in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use listo in Spanish.

The word listo in Spanish means ready, ready to do, bright, clever, smart, smart, smart arse, Done!, list, list, be a know it all, be clever, be taken by surprise, ready to, be too clever by half. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word listo

ready

adjetivo (dispuesto, preparado)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Estoy lista: podemos salir cuando digas.
I'm ready: we can leave whenever you want.

ready to do

(preparado para hacer algo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El piloto de carreras estaba listo para arrancar en cuanto dieran el banderazo de salida.
The racing driver was ready to go as soon as the starting flag was raised.

bright, clever, smart

adjetivo (sagaz, inteligente)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Mi sobrino es muy listo: tiene una agilidad mental asombrosa.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. She is a bright (or: smart) student who is always the first one to understand the lesson.

smart

adjetivo (desaprobación (astuto, malicioso)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
No quieras pasarte de listo conmigo: cuando tú apenas vas yo ya vengo de regreso.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Don't play cards with him for money because he's very crafty.

smart arse

nombre masculino, nombre femenino (desaprobación (persona astuta) (UK: slang)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Nunca falta el listo que quiere aprovecharse de los demás.
There's always a smart arse ready to take advantage of others.

Done!

interjección (dar por finalizado) (finished)

(interjection: Exclamation--for example, "Oh no!" "Wow!")
¡Listo! Ya me aprendí de memoria las tablas de multiplicar.
Done! I just finished memorizing the multiplication tables.

list

verbo transitivo (informática: organizar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Hay que listar las direcciones de nuestros clientes.
We have to list the addresses of our clients.

list

verbo transitivo (enumerar por escrito)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Debes listar todos los objetos que hay en casa.
You should list all of the objects you have at home.

be a know it all, be clever

locución verbal (presumir de erudito) (person)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Micaela siempre se las da de lista.
Micaela is always a know it all.

be taken by surprise

locución verbal (coloquial (llevarse un chasco)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

ready to

locución adjetiva (dispuesto, preparado)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Tras ensayar durante meses, está listo para actuar en la función de teatro.
After rehearsing for months, he's ready to act in the theater show.

be too clever by half

locución verbal (peyorativo (ser aprovechado)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
No te pases de listo, que será peor para ti.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of listo in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.