How to Say ‘Other’ in Spanish | Words That Fit The Moment

“Other” feels simple in English. In Spanish, it changes shape. That’s not a trap. It’s Spanish doing what it does: matching words to the noun they describe.

Once you get two ideas down—gender and number—you’ll stop guessing and start picking the right form on the first try. Then you’ll add a few steady patterns that cover “the other one,” “another,” “other people,” and “the others.”

How to Say ‘Other’ in Spanish

The everyday translation of “other” is otro. It’s an adjective most of the time, so it normally goes right before the noun and agrees with that noun.

Basic forms you’ll use the most

• otro (masculine singular): otro libro (another/other book)
• otra (feminine singular): otra idea (another/other idea)
• otros (masculine plural or mixed group): otros libros (other books)
• otras (feminine plural): otras ideas (other ideas)

That’s the core set. A lot of everyday Spanish can be built from these four forms.

What “other” means changes the Spanish you choose

In English, “other” can mean “another one,” “the second of two,” “different ones,” or “the rest.” Spanish uses otro for several of these, but it also leans on set phrases like el otro and los demás when the meaning shifts.

Saying ‘Other’ In Spanish With The Right Gender And Number

Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine, and singular or plural. “Other” has to match. If you learn the noun with its article (el, la, los, las), the matching form of otro comes naturally.

Masculine nouns

Use otro with masculine singular nouns and otros with masculine plural nouns.

• Necesito otro bolígrafo. (I need another pen.)
• Quiero ver otros sitios. (I want to see other places.)

Feminine nouns

Use otra with feminine singular nouns and otras with feminine plural nouns.

• Voy a elegir otra opción. (I’m going to choose another option.)
• Buscamos otras respuestas. (We’re looking for other answers.)

When the noun is not said

Spanish can drop the noun when it’s clear. In that case, otro still agrees with the thing you mean.

• Este no; dame otro. (Not this one; give me another.)
• No esa; quiero otra. (Not that one; I want another.)

Quick check you can do in your head

1. Say the noun with “the”: el or la.
2. Pick the matching form: otro for el, otra for la.
3. Make it plural if the noun is plural: otros or otras.

Common meanings of “other” and the Spanish that fits

This is where learners start sounding natural. “Other” isn’t one single idea. Pick the pattern that matches the message you’re sending.

“Another” as in one more

When you mean “one more of the same kind,” otro works well. If you want to stress “one more,” you can also say un/una + noun + más.

• Quiero otro café. (I want another coffee.)
• Quiero un café más. (I want one more coffee.)

“The other” as in the second of two

If you’re talking about two items and pointing to the one that isn’t “this one,” use el otro, la otra, los otros, or las otras.

• Esta es mi hermana; la otra es mi prima. (This is my sister; the other one is my cousin.)
• Toma este, no el otro. (Take this one, not the other one.)

“Other people / other things” as different ones

Use otros/otras with plural nouns when you mean “different ones” in a group.

• Hay otras maneras. (There are other ways.)
• Conozco otros estudiantes. (I know other students.)

“Other” vs “different” in Spanish

English “other” sometimes really means “different.” Spanish can still use otro when the idea is “a different one,” yet there’s a cleaner choice when you mean “not the same kind”: diferente or distinto.

Try this contrast. If you say otro libro, you mean “another book.” If you say un libro diferente, you mean “a different book,” with a stronger contrast to the first one.

• Dame otro libro. (Give me another book.)
• Dame un libro diferente. (Give me a different book.)

“The others” as the remaining ones

When you mean “the rest,” Spanish often prefers los demás or las demás. This points to what’s left in a set that’s already known.

• Yo voy primero y los demás después. (I’ll go first and the others after.)
• Traje mis libros y dejé los demás en casa. (I brought my books and left the others at home.)

English idea	Spanish choice	When it fits
other + masculine noun	otro / otros	Matches a masculine noun in singular or plural.
other + feminine noun	otra / otras	Matches a feminine noun in singular or plural.
another one (noun said)	otro + noun	“One more” of the same type: otro día, otra clase.
another one (noun omitted)	otro / otra	Use the form that agrees with what you mean: dame otro.
the other (of two)	el otro / la otra	Two-item contrast: this one vs. the other one.
the others (the rest)	los demás / las demás	Remaining items in a known set, not just “different.”
other than (besides / except)	aparte de / salvo	Means “besides” or “except,” not the adjective “other.”
otherwise (if not)	si no / de lo contrario	Shows an alternate result: “If not, then …”.
each other	el uno al otro / entre sí	Reciprocal action: “They help each other.”

Small patterns that stop common mistakes

A lot of mix-ups come from translating word-for-word. These short patterns keep your Spanish clean and clear.

“Other than” is not otro

English “other than” often means “besides” or “except.” Spanish usually uses aparte de or salvo, depending on your meaning.

• Aparte de Juan, nadie vino. (Other than Juan, nobody came.)
• Salvo el lunes, puedo cualquier día. (Except Monday, I can do any day.)

“The other day” uses el otro día

This one shows up a lot in real speech. It means “a few days ago.”

• El otro día vi a tu profesora. (The other day I saw your teacher.)

“One after the other” has its own set phrase

If you mean a sequence, Spanish commonly uses uno tras otro or una tras otra.

• Los coches pasaban uno tras otro. (The cars went by one after the other.)

Using “otro” with pronouns and articles

Spanish lets you pair “other” with articles, and it can also stand alone when the noun is understood. These are forms you’ll hear often.

El otro and la otra as “the other one”

When the noun is clear from context, the article carries the meaning and otro agrees with it.

• Yo tengo uno y tú tienes el otro. (I have one and you have the other.)
• Prefiero esta; la otra es cara. (I prefer this one; the other is expensive.)

Los otros vs los demás

Both can translate as “the others,” but they don’t feel the same. Los otros often points to “the other people” as a group, sometimes with a contrast to “us.” Los demás points to “the rest” of a known set.

• Nos quedamos aquí y los otros se van. (We’re staying here and the others are leaving.)
• Yo pago esto y los demás pagan lo suyo. (I’ll pay this and the rest will pay theirs.)

Otro as “someone else”

Spanish can use otro by itself to mean “someone else,” with the gender matching who you mean.

• Eso lo dijo otro. (Someone else said that.)
• Eso lo dijo otra. (Someone else said that.)

Quick sentence templates you can reuse

These patterns cover the most common real-life uses. Swap the noun and keep the structure.

Templates with a noun

• Necesito otro/otra ____.
• Quiero otros/otras ____.
• Prefiero el otro/la otra ____.
• Deja eso y trae otro/otra ____.

Templates without a noun

• Dame otro. / Dame otra.
• Quiero otro. / Quiero otra.
• Este no; el otro. / Esta no; la otra.

What you mean	Spanish you can say	Mini example
one more item	otro/otra + noun	otra pregunta
a different option	otro/otra or diferente	otra opción
the second of two	el otro / la otra	la otra llave
the rest of the group	los demás / las demás	los demás estudiantes
someone else	otro / otra	Lo dijo otro.
apart from	aparte de	Aparte de eso…
except	salvo	Salvo el lunes…
one after another	uno tras otro	uno tras otro

Pronunciation and spelling notes

Otro sounds like OH-troh and otra like OH-trah. The r is a light tap in many accents. Keep the rhythm steady; Spanish stress stays calm here.

In writing, otro and otra don’t take an accent mark. If you see ¿Otra vez?, it’s the same word. It’s just being used in a common phrase that means “Again?” or “Another time?”

Short practice that builds speed

Try this quick drill. Say the English line, then produce the Spanish with the right form of “other.” Read it out loud if you can.

1. “I need another chair.” → Necesito otra silla.
2. “Do you have another one?” → ¿Tienes otro? / ¿Tienes otra?
3. “Take the other road.” → Toma el otro camino.
4. “The others are waiting.” → Los demás esperan.
5. “I saw you the other day.” → Te vi el otro día.

One last tip that saves effort

When you’re stuck, say the noun with el or la first. If it’s el, choose otro. If it’s la, choose otra. Then match plural with -s. That small pause beats a random guess.