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suspenso

fail grade

noun soos-PEHN-soh Rare

Also means

suspense

Usage Note

Suspenso in Spain means a failing mark in school — the opposite of aprobado (pass). In Latin America and film, suspenso is used where Spain uses suspense (the English loanword) to mean narrative tension or thriller genre. So una película de suspenso in Buenos Aires means 'a thriller', while in Madrid the same phrase could be misread; Spaniards say suspense for the genre. Context determines which meaning applies.

Examples

"Saqué un suspenso en el examen de matemáticas."

Natural Translation

I got a fail on the maths exam.

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