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cantado

obvious; foregone (conclusion)

adjective kan-TAH-doh Rare

Also means

sung

Usage Note

Cantado literally means 'sung' (past participle of cantar), but the colloquial idiom está cantado means 'it's a foregone conclusion' or 'it's obvious what will happen' — as predictable as a song everyone knows. This figurative use is very common in Spain; in Latin America es obvio or es predecible is more typical.

Examples

"El resultado estaba cantado desde el principio."

Natural Translation

The result was a foregone conclusion from the start.

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