Telefónica Sells Its Fiber Network in Chile

Key vocabulary

• venderv.

  to sell

  “Telefónica y KKR quieren vender su empresa de fibra óptica en Chile.”— Telefónica and KKR want to sell their fiber optic company in Chile.

  Pattern poner en venta — to put up for sale

  Compare comercializar — to sell

  vendo, vendes, vende, vendemos, vendéis, venden

  💡 Cognate with English 'vend'; note that Spanish 'v' is pronounced close to 'b'.

• empresaf.

  company, business

  “La empresa se llama OnNet Fibra.”— The company is called OnNet Fibra.

  Pattern empresa de fibra óptica — fiber-optic company

  Compare compañía — company

  plural: empresas

  💡 From the verb emprender (to start, to launch); originally meant 'the undertaking that has been started'.

• fibraf.

  fiber; fiber optic

  “Es una empresa mayorista de fibra neutra.”— It is a neutral wholesale fiber company.

  Pattern fibra óptica — fiber optic

  plural: fibras

  💡 fibra óptica is a fixed collocation; óptica means 'optical'.

• operadorm.

  operator, carrier

  “OnNet Fibra da servicio a casi todos los operadores de telecomunicaciones de Chile.”— OnNet Fibra serves almost all telecommunications operators in Chile.

  Pattern operador de telecomunicaciones — telecommunications operator

  Compare proveedor — provider

  plural: operadores

  💡 From the verb operar (to operate); the suffix -dor indicates 'one who does something'.

• deudaf.

  debt

  “Pero la deuda de la empresa es muy alta.”— But the company's debt is very high.

  Pattern tener deuda — to have debt

  Compare pasivo — liabilities

  plural: deudas

  💡 From Latin debitum, cognate with English 'debt'.

• filialf.

  subsidiary, branch

  “Telefónica ya vendió su filial en Chile a Millicom.”— Telefónica already sold its subsidiary in Chile to Millicom.

  Pattern filial en Chile — subsidiary in Chile

  Compare sucursal — branch

  plural: filiales

  💡 From Latin filius (son), extended to mean 'subsidiary'.

• negociom.

  business, trade

  “Ahora Telefónica vende sus negocios en Latinoamérica.”— Now Telefónica is selling its businesses in Latin America.

  Pattern hacer negocios — to do business

  Compare comercio — commerce

  plural: negocios

  💡 From Latin negotium (not leisure), i.e. 'business, affair'.

• millónm.

  million

  “El valor de la empresa puede ser entre 1.500 y 2.000 millones de dólares.”— The company's value could be between 1.5 and 2 billion dollars.

  Pattern millones de dólares — millions of dollars

  plural: millones

  💡 Note the plural form millones in Spanish.

Grammar spotlight

Sentence patterns to steal

• Telefónica y KKR quieren vender su empresa de fibra óptica en Chile.

  Telefónica and KKR want to sell their fiber optic company in Chile.

  [subject] + querer + [infinitive] + [object]You can replace the subject and infinitive, e.g., Quiero aprender español.

• La venta no va a ocurrir este año. Va a ocurrir en 2027.

  The sale is not going to happen this year. It is going to happen in 2027.

  [subject] + ir a + [infinitive] + [time]You can replace the time and verb, e.g., Voy a viajar mañana.

• En poco más de un año, vendió siete compañías en la región.

  In just over a year, it sold seven companies in the region.

  En poco más de + [time], + [past tense verb]You can replace the time and action, e.g., En poco más de un mes, aprendí mucho.