# Punta del Este: Point of It Is? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423 "2019-11-14T16:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/1 "2019-11-14T16:13:27Z")
How did resort destination Punta del Este, Reno of the Southern Hemisphere, get its name? What does the name mean in Spanish? I know, I know, never translate a proper name, proper names are inscrutable blobs to the Proper Language Student, but I’m still curious about how Spanish speakers understand it. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/2 "2019-11-14T16:19:24Z")
ADJECTIVE 5. (in or from the east) a. eastern La zona este de la ciudad tiene unos restaurantes excelentes.The eastern part of the city has some excellent restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/3 "2019-11-14T16:24:55Z")
I don’t know much about the history of the place, but the name Punta del Este translates as East Point, or literally, Tip/Point of the East. If you look at its location on a map, the name is rather obvious and not terribly creative. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/4 "2019-11-14T16:43:27Z")
I wonder if the OP’s confusion is based on a mistranslation? Este as “this” instead of East? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/5 "2019-11-14T16:59:39Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > I wonder if the OP’s confusion is based on a mistranslation? Este as “this” instead of East? Or esta. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/6 "2019-11-14T17:03:36Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > I wonder if the OP’s confusion is based on a mistranslation? Este as “this” instead of East? I’m pretty sure it’s a mistranslation. The thread subtitle is “Point of It Is,” which, to me, indicates the OP is translating “Este” as “it is,” confusing it with “está” or similar.(Or “este” can be “he/she/it is” in Romanian.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/7 "2019-11-14T17:10:44Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > I wonder if the OP’s confusion is based on a mistranslation? Este as “this” instead of East? _Este_ in Spanish has various meanings: As a noun: East As an adjective: Eastern This As a pronoun: This or this one As a verb, _esté_, with an accent, is the first and third person singular subjunctive of _estar_, “to be,” and thus could be translatied as “(It) might be.” Evidently the latter is where the OP got “it is.” As has been said, Punta del Este has a straightforward translation as “Eastern Point” (in the sense of a point of land). Interestingly, if you enter “punta del este” into Google Translate it yields “eastern tip,” but if you enter “Punta del Este” with capitals, it yields “Punta del Este.” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/8 "2019-11-14T17:16:01Z")
Yeah, I got that wrong, obviously. Thanks for the help. (I’m still pleased about the title, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/9 "2019-11-14T20:27:12Z")
And here, I was thinking Eastbridge. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punta-del-este-point-of-it-is/843423/10 "2019-11-14T21:36:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And here, I was thinking Eastbridge. That would be Puente del Este.