colchón inflable
/kolt͡ʃon inflable/from spelling rules
An air mattress in Spanish is colchón inflable.
The phrase refers to an inflatable bed that is filled with air for temporary use.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of colchón (mattress) and inflable (inflatable).
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, colchones inflables, both the noun and the adjective must take a plural ending: the noun takes -es and the adjective takes -s.
How do you pronounce it?
/koltʃon inflable/
Did you know?
- The word colchón is derived from colcha, which means 'bedspread' or 'quilt'. This suggests that early mattresses were essentially thick, stuffed quilts.
- The adjective inflable shares a deep linguistic root with the English word 'inflame', as both stem from the idea of blowing or swelling up.
- While colchón is the standard word, some regions use somier to refer to the bed base, creating confusion if a guest asks for a 'mattress' but receives only the frame.
Examples in context
- ¡Voy a acampar este fin de semana! Necesito comprar un colchón inflable.I'm going camping this weekend! I need to buy an air mattress.
- Señor, ¿tienen un colchón hinchable disponible para la habitación?Sir, do you have an air mattress available for the room?
- Necesito un colchón inflable para el camping.I need an air mattress for camping.
- El colchón inflable tiene una fuga de aire.The air mattress has an air leak.
- ¿Dónde compraste ese colchón inflable tan cómodo?Where did you buy that very comfortable air mattress?
Example conversation
Daniel and María are preparing for guests staying at their house.
- Daniel¿Tienes un colchón inflable para la visita?Do you have an air mattress for the guest?
- MaríaSí, tengo uno en el armario.Yes, I have one in the closet.
- DanielPerfecto, lo sacaremos esta tarde.Perfect, we will take it out this afternoon.
- MaríaMuy bien, Daniel.Very well, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries colchón, inflable, CC BY-SA 4.0.
