baño
everyday, Colombia
In Colombia you ask for the baño. Public signs and restaurants may also say sanitarios. It is also called sanitario.
Meaning: room with a toilet (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| baño | everyday, Colombia |
| sanitario | signs, formal |
Use ¿Dónde queda el baño? in a shop, a restaurant or a friend's house. Colombians say queda for the location of a place.
Which one should you use?
Baño works for both a full bathroom and a toilet room. Sanitario is more formal and more common on doors and in signs than in speech.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
With staff or older people add por favor and use usted: Disculpe, ¿me indica dónde está el baño?
Did you know?
- Spanish baño also means "bath", but in Colombia a question like ¿Dónde está el baño? always means the toilet.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, ¿hay sanitarios cerca?Excuse me, are there restrooms nearby?
- Voy al baño y vengo.I am going to the bathroom and I will be right back.
Example conversation
A tourist asks a waiter in a restaurant in Medellín for the restroom.
- TuristaDisculpe, ¿dónde queda el baño?Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
- MeseroAl fondo, a la derecha.At the back, on the right.
- TuristaMuchas gracias.Thank you very much.
