Translating "wide" "ancho" or "amplio"

Question

Thank you, Silvia, for the Weekend Workout exercise of 25th September entitled "Inclusive Language Debate" - It also taught me that there is a subtle difference between "amplio" and "ancho" >

In the following sentence, I [incorrectly !] used "ancha":

"... este debate refleja una tensión más amplia entre identidad y gramática"

/ "...this debate reflects a wider tension between identity and grammar".

I [think I] now see that "ancho/a" is applicable only when some sort of physical measurement may be taken?

- - - - - -

[Our local Adult-education Centre has three female teachers and one male teacher (younger than the others). So the [Lady] Principal always 'reinterprets' the rule about pronoun-usage when she composes correspondence and notices which come from the School - and deliberately refers to her team using "nosotras !"]

Un Abrazo - David M

Silvia Píriz · Accepted Answer

Hola David M.
Thank you for your kind words! I’m really glad you enjoyed the Weekend Workout and that it prompted this interesting reflection!
Yes, you’ve picked up on an important distinction. Ancho/a is most commonly used for physical width or something that can be understood in terms of width: una calle ancha, una mesa ancha, hombros anchos, etc.
Amplio/a, on the other hand, can also express the idea of something being broader or wider in a more abstract sense: un debate amplio, una amplia variedad, un sentido más amplio. That’s why “una tensión más amplia” works naturally here: the tension has a broader scope rather than a greater physical width.
And thank you for sharing the anecdote about nosotras — a very interesting real-life example to add to the discussion!
Un abrazo
Silvia

Translating "wide" > "ancho" or "amplio"

Translating "wide" > "ancho" or "amplio"

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