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beca

scholarship

noun BEH-kah Rare
People & Society Education

Also means

grant

Usage Note

Beca covers both merit-based scholarships and need-based grants — the Spanish system does not draw as sharp a distinction as English. Common collocations: solicitar una beca ('to apply for a grant'), beca Erasmus ('Erasmus scholarship'). The recipient is a becario/becaria, which in Spain also informally means 'unpaid intern' — a false-friend trap in workplace contexts.

Examples

"Obtuvo una beca para estudiar en el extranjero."

Natural Translation

She received a scholarship to study abroad.

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