Países Bajos

Spanish

Etymology

From país (“country”) +‎ bajos (“low”), a calque of Dutch Nederland. Compare French Pays-Bas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˌises ˈbaxos/ [paˌi.sez ˈβ̞a.xos]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Syllabification: Pa‧í‧ses Ba‧jos

Proper noun

Países Bajos m pl

1. Netherlands (The main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located primarily in Western Europe bordering Germany and Belgium)
2. Netherlands, Kingdom of the Netherlands (a country in Western Europe, consisting of four constituent countries: the Netherlands per se, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten)

Usage notes

• Like in English, the definite article nearly always modifies the Netherlands' exonym in Spanish (i.e. los Países Bajos).