avión
/aˈbjon/masculine
The English word 'airplane' is translated into Spanish as avión. Wiktionary also lists aeroplano.
Meaning: powered aircraft (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| avión | /aˈbjon/ | masculine |
| aeroplano | /aeɾoˈplano/ | masculine |
The primary word for a powered aircraft is avión. When expressing that you are traveling 'by airplane', use the prepositional phrase en avión.
Which one should you use?
avión is the standard, everyday word for an airplane. In contrast, aeroplano is a more technical or old-fashioned term and is much less common in daily conversation. If you need to refer to any type of aircraft in a technical sense, you can use aeronave.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word avión is a masculine noun. To form the plural, use aviones.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˈbjon/
Did you know?
- The word aeroplano comes from the Greek word planáō, which means 'to wander'.
- The suffix -ón in avión is a common Spanish augmentative, which can imply something large.
- In Spanish, the word ave is used for 'bird', making it a direct relative of avión.
Examples in context
- El avión voló muy bajo.The airplane flew very low.This sentence shows how to describe the altitude of an avión.Tatoeba #973043 by hayastan, translation #318086 by CK
- Fui en avión a Kyuushuu.I went to Kyushu by airplane.This sentence demonstrates the phrase en avión to indicate traveling by means of an avión.Tatoeba #1115645 by marcelostockle, translation #261422 by CN
- El avión vuela altísimo.The airplane flies really high.This sentence shows the verb used with avión to describe flying at high altitudes.Tatoeba #7107746 by arh, translation #9706243 by DJ_Saidez
- El avión despegó hacia su destino.The airplane took off towards its destination.
- Voy a volar en un aeroplano por primera vez.I'm going to fly in an airplane for the first time.
- Hoy voy a volar en una avioneta.Today, I'm going to fly in a small airplane.
- La aeronave estaba lista para el despegue.The aircraft was ready for takeoff.
- Me encanta volar en un jet.I love flying in a jet.
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are waiting at the airport terminal.
- Daniel¿Viene pronto nuestro avión, María?Is our airplane coming soon, María?
- MaríaSí, el avión ya está llegando.Yes, the airplane is already arriving.
- DanielQué bueno, tengo mucho sueño.That's good, I am very sleepy.
- MaríaYo también, Daniel, subamos rápido.Me too, Daniel, let's get on quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “airplane” translations and entries avión, aeroplano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aeroplano, avión, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
