"SOMBRA" IN ENGLISH

Good morning, everyone. I hope you are doing well. Welcome back to the Daily Vitamin.

Do you know how to translate the following Spanish sentences into English?
i) Hace mucho calor. Vamos a sentarnos a la sombra.
ii) Ese niño tiene miedo de todo, incluso de su propia sombra.

The Spanish word sombra can be translated into English as SHADE or SHADOW, depending on the context. So, what is the difference between the two words?

SHADE
Definition: a dark area where the light from the sun does not reach because it is blocked by something, such as a tree or a building.

Example 1: It is very hot. Let's sit in the shade under that tree.

Example 2: I spent the whole day at the beach under the shade of an umbrella.

SHADOW
Definition: a dark shape made on a surface when someone or something is between that surface and a light.

Example 3: That child is afraid of everything, even his own shadow!

Example 4: Sometimes dogs will chase their own shadow.

Example 1 is a possible translation of sentence (i) and Example 3 is a possible translation of sentence (ii).

Notice that when you are in the shade you can't see your shadow and you can't have shade without the sun, whereas a shadow could be created with the light from the sun, or other types of light (such as a lamp). Although the umbrella (in Example 2) can cast a shadow, in this example the interesting dark area is shade (which protects us from the sun). We are not interested in the form or shape of the dark area created by the umbrella.

If you have any questions about the difference between these 2 words, please don't hesitate to post your questions on one of our social media sites (Facebook or Bluesky). Or perhaps you'd like to get some writing practice in English by writing a sentence with SHADE and/or SHADOW. You can post your writing on one of our social media sites and we will give you feedback about your writing ASAP.  

Enjoy the rest of your day!