The Meaning of Libre in Spanish

Libre is the most common Spanish adjective for free—but it isnt used to refer to something that is available without charge or cost. For that, the word to use almost always is gratis. Instead, libre, related to words such as liberate and liberty, usually refers to being free in the sense of being free of restraints or sometimes in the sense of being available. Some examples of its use: En 2016, Argentina celebra 200 aà ±os del surgimiento de una nacià ³n libre y independiente. (In 2016, Argentina celebrates 200 years of the springing forth of a free and independent nation.)Soy hombre libre. No dependo de nadie. (Im a free man. I dont depend on anyone.)Serà © libre cuando mis padres no està ©n aquà ­. (I will be free when my parents arent here.) ¿Dà ³nde encontrar cosmà ©ticos libres de crueldad animal? (Where can I find cosmetics made free of animal cruelty?)Dejaron libres a los cinco presos. (They freed the five prisoners.)No habà ­a asiento libre a la vista. (There was not an available (or free) seat in sight.)Hay una diferencia de actitud entre la traduccià ³n libre y la traduccià ³n literal. (There is a difference in attitude between a free translation and a literal translation.)Todos tienen derecho a respirar aire libre de humo. (Everyone has the right to breathe smoke-free air.) Phrases Using Libre An abundance of phrases and idioms use libre. Among the most common: absolucià ³n libre — verdict of not guiltyaire libre, al aire libre — outdoorsamor libre — free lovecaà ­da libre — free falldar và ­a libre — to give permissiondà ­a libre — day off work or other obligationslibre de impuestos — tax-freelucha libre — wrestlingmercado libre — free market (an economics term)paso libre — something free of obstaclesprensa libre — free presspuerto libre — free portsoftware libre — open-source softwaretiempo libre — free timetiro libre — free throw (as in basketball), free kick (as in soccer)trabajar por libre — to do freelance work Words Related to Libre The two verbs most closely related to libre are  liberar and librar. Liberar is the more common and usually means to liberate, to release, or to let a person or a animal go free. Librar has a variety of seemingly unrelated meanings including saving someone from danger, drawing a check (monetary instrument), fighting ,and revealing. There are also several related compound nouns including librecambio (free trade), librecambista (advocate of free trade), and librepensador (freethinker). Other related words include librado (someone who draws or writes a check), liberal (liberal), and libertad (liberty). Etymology Libre comes from the Latin liber, which had a similar meaning to libre. From liber came the Latin verb liberare, meaning to set free or liberate. Its past participle, liberatus, became the source of English words such as liberate and liberation. Other Words for ‘Free’ The other adjective frequently used for free is gratis, meaning without cost. As in the third example, gratis can also be used as an adverb. Note that the singular and plural forms of gratis are the same. Este martes la cadena de comida rà ¡pida te da desayuno gratis. (This Tuesday the fast-food chain is giving you a free breakfast.)Prà ©stamos de sillas gratis para los bebà ©s. (Loans of free baby seats.)Aquà ­ puedes aparcar tu coche gratis. (Here you can park your car free.) The phrase exento de, although usually translated as exempt from, can sometimes be used instead of libre de for free of: El soporte debe estar limpio y exento de grasa. (The support should be clean and free of grease.)Éste papel no està ¡ exento de à ¡cido. (This paper isnt acid-free.) Finally, it is extremely common to translate the suffix free using the preposition sin, meaning without: En el mercado puedes comprar un amplio surtido de infusiones sin cafeà ­na. (In the market you can buy a large assortment of caffeine-free herbal teas.)La leche deshidratada sin grasa y la leche descremada en polvo son muy similares. (Fat-free dehydrated milk and powdered skim milk are very similar.)Espero que puedas vivir sin ansiedad. (I hope you can live worry-free.) Key Takeaways Libre is the typical translation for free when it used as an adjective for meanings other than being without cost.Gratis is used when referring to something that has no cost.Libre is derived from the verb librar, which is related to the English verb liberate.