Vocabulary
Learn Spanish: Lleno vs. Vacío for Full and Empty States
The short answer
Lleno describes an object, container, or location that contains all it can hold or has people inside. Vacío describes an object, space, or surface that has no contents or occupants present. In Spanish, describing these physical conditions directly pairs the adjective with estar rather than ser in the patterns taught here.
Key points
- Use estar lleno de when something holds contents, and estar vacío when it has no contents or occupants.
- Pair estar with lleno and vacío to describe immediate conditions: el vaso está lleno (the glass is full) or la taza está vacía (the cup is empty).
- For plural nouns, add -s while keeping the accent on vacíos and vacías: los platos están vacíos.
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Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
Examples
El cubo de pintura azul está completamente lleno.
The bucket of blue paint is completely full.
Why it works: Completamente modifies lleno to indicate total capacity.
2 more examples
-
La maleta de viaje todavía está vacía sobre la cama.
The travel suitcase is still empty on the bed.
Feminine maleta requires vacía and pairs with estar for a temporary state.
-
Los canastos de fruta están llenos de peras dulces.
The fruit baskets are full of sweet pears.
Plural masculine canastos pairs with llenos and the preposition de introduces the contents.
Read the full guide
Describing containers with estar lleno
The problem: Beginners often wonder whether to use ser or estar when describing a full cup or bowl.
Use the verb estar with lleno to describe a container, vehicle, or room in a full state. In Spanish, describing this physical condition pairs the adjective directly with estar rather than ser.
-
El termo de café está lleno.
The coffee thermos is full.
Why it works: Estar expresses the current physical state of the container.
-
El vaso de leche está lleno.
The glass of milk is full.
Why it works: The masculine noun vaso pairs with masculine singular lleno.
Your turn
Choose the sentence that correctly states the soup bowl is full.
Answer: El tazón de sopa está lleno.
Show the answer
Answer: El tazón de sopa está lleno.
Spanish uses estar lleno to describe a container's full condition, and masculine tazón matches lleno.
Matching gender with llena and vacía
The problem: English speakers often forget to adjust the adjective ending when the container is grammatically feminine.
Both lleno and vacío are regular four-form adjectives that must agree in gender with the noun they describe. When the noun is feminine, change the final vowel to -a to form llena and vacía.
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La jarra de cerámica está llena.
The ceramic pitcher is full.
Why it works: The feminine noun jarra requires the feminine adjective ending -a.
-
La taza de té está vacía.
The tea cup is empty.
Why it works: Vacía takes a feminine ending to match the feminine noun taza.
You can practise this again in Learn Spanish: Antes de vs. Después de for Sequencing Actions and Learn Spanish: De Acuerdo vs. Vale for Agreement and Acceptance.
Your turn
Select the correct sentence to say that the metal cooking pot is empty.
Answer: La olla de metal está vacía.
Show the answer
Answer: La olla de metal está vacía.
La olla is a feminine noun, so it requires feminine vacía alongside the verb está.
Connecting contents with the preposition de
The problem: Learners frequently wonder which preposition connects lleno to the contents inside a container.
To name the substance, liquid, or items filling a container, use the preposition de immediately after lleno or llena. Connecting the adjective to its contents with de is the standard beginner pattern to practice.
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La botella de vidrio está llena de jugo.
The glass bottle is full of juice.
Why it works: Llena de is the standard phrase pattern taught here to introduce the contents.
-
El cubo de plástico está lleno de arena.
The plastic bucket is full of sand.
Why it works: The preposition de directly links the adjective to the filling material.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly indicates that the backpack is full of books?
Answer: La mochila está llena de libros.
Show the answer
Answer: La mochila está llena de libros.
Spanish regularly uses the preposition de after lleno or llena to specify the contents.
Describing empty items and the written accent on vacíos
The problem: Learners sometimes drop the written tilde or misplace agreement when describing multiple empty items.
When describing more than one empty container, add -s to form vacíos or vacías. Keep the written accent mark on the letter i in all plural forms to preserve the distinct syllable stress.
-
Los platos hondos están vacíos.
The deep plates are empty.
Why it works: The written accent on the letter i remains in the plural masculine form.
-
Las cajas de cartón están vacías.
The cardboard boxes are empty.
Why it works: Vacías agrees in gender and number with the feminine plural noun cajas.
Your turn
Choose the sentence that describes several clean, empty cups on the tray.
Answer: Las tazas limpias están vacías en la bandeja.
Show the answer
Answer: Las tazas limpias están vacías en la bandeja.
Las tazas is feminine plural, requiring feminine plural vacías and the verb están.
Matching the container rather than its contents
The problem: Learners often mistakenly match the adjective ending to the plural contents instead of the container.
When you use de to name what is inside a container, the adjective must always agree with the container itself, not with the items filling it. Even when the contents are plural or a different gender, keep lleno or llena matched to the subject noun.
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El plato de cerámica está lleno de uvas verdes.
The ceramic plate is full of green grapes.
Why it works: Masculine singular plato controls the adjective lleno, even though uvas is feminine plural.
-
La canasta de metal está llena de paquetes pesados.
The metal basket is full of heavy packages.
Why it works: Feminine singular canasta requires llena, regardless of the masculine plural noun paquetes.
Your turn
Select the sentence that correctly describes the glass bowl filled with fresh strawberries.
Answer: El tazón de vidrio está lleno de fresas frescas.
Show the answer
Answer: El tazón de vidrio está lleno de fresas frescas.
The adjective must agree with the singular masculine container el tazón (lleno), not with the plural contents fresas.
Describing rooms and spaces occupied by people
The problem: Learners often do not realize that lleno and vacío extend to public venues, rooms, and vehicles.
In Spanish, a restaurant, bus, or room is described with lleno when it is full or crowded. Conversely, vacío indicates that a room or space is empty or has no people or occupants present.
-
El restaurante del hotel está lleno esta noche.
The hotel restaurant is full tonight.
Why it works: Lleno applied to a venue describes it as full of diners.
-
La sala de espera está vacía ahora mismo.
The waiting room is empty right now.
Why it works: Vacía indicates that no people or occupants are present in the room.
Your turn
How do you state that the city bus has no passengers right now?
Answer: El autobús urbano está vacío ahora mismo.
Show the answer
Answer: El autobús urbano está vacío ahora mismo.
Use estar with masculine vacío to describe a vehicle that currently carries no passengers.
Expressing degrees with casi and completamente
The problem: Learners may not know how to describe partially filled or totally emptied containers.
Place adverbs like casi (almost) or completamente (completely) directly before lleno or vacío to specify degree. These modifying adverbs remain invariable while the adjective still agrees with the noun.
-
El tanque de gasolina está casi lleno.
The gas tank is almost full.
Why it works: Casi qualifies the adjective without changing its ending or position.
-
La despensa de la cocina está completamente vacía.
The kitchen pantry is completely empty.
Why it works: Completamente emphasizes total absence while vacía matches the feminine despensa.
Your turn
Which sentence indicates that the water bottle is almost empty?
Answer: La botella de agua está casi vacía.
Show the answer
Answer: La botella de agua está casi vacía.
Casi vacía combines the degree adverb casi with the agreeing feminine adjective vacía.
Asking questions about capacity and availability
The problem: Beginners are often unsure of word order when asking whether a seat, room, or container is free.
To ask whether a place or container is full, placing the verb está first is one common and natural option, though subject-first questions are also natural. You can use either order when inquiring about whether a space or vessel is full.
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¿Está lleno el estacionamiento del centro?
Is the downtown parking lot full?
Why it works: The question opens with the verb and adjective before the subject.
-
¿Por qué está vacía la nevera pequeña?
Why is the small refrigerator empty?
Why it works: Interrogative por qué precedes the verb and feminine adjective vacía.
Your turn
Choose the correct question to ask if the theater hall is full of people.
Answer: ¿Está llena de gente la sala de teatro?
Show the answer
Answer: ¿Está llena de gente la sala de teatro?
La sala is feminine, so it requires feminine llena, the verb está, and the preposition de.
Before you go
Remember this
Use estar lleno de when something holds contents, and estar vacío when it has no contents or occupants. Match -o, -a, -os, and -as to the gender and number of the noun, use de to introduce the contents, and preserve the accent mark on the letter i in vacío.
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