carrusel
/karuˈsel/Latin America, masculine
The English phrase 'carousel' can be translated into Spanish as carrusel, calesita or tiovivo.
Meaning: pleasure ride consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which are fixed various seats (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carrusel | /karuˈsel/ | Latin America, masculine |
| calesita | /kaleˈsita/ | Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, feminine |
| tiovivo | /tjoˈbibo/ | Spain, masculine |
The term refers to a pleasure ride consisting of a slowly revolving circular platform on which various seats are fixed.
Which one should you use?
While carrusel is a standard term used across Latin America, tiovivo is specific to Spain and calesita is specific to the Southern Cone.
Is it said differently in some regions?
tiovivo is mainly used in Spain and the Canary Islands. calesita is used especially in Argentina and Uruguay.
How does it change in a sentence?
carrusel and tiovivo are masculine nouns. Because tiovivo is masculine, it takes the masculine article el tiovivo. calesita is a feminine noun and therefore takes the feminine article la calesita.
How do you pronounce it?
/karuˈsel/
Did you know?
- While tiovivo refers to a carousel, the words literally translate to 'live uncle'. The exact reason why a rotating ride is called a 'live uncle' remains a mystery to historians.
- In some regions, carrusel is used metaphorically to describe a political or corporate situation where people rotate through the same set of positions in a circle.
- Unlike the English 'carousel' which can also mean a luggage belt or a slide projector, the Spanish tiovivo and calesita are used exclusively for the amusement ride.
Examples in context
- Los niños están montando en el tiovivo.The children are riding the carousel.This sentence is useful for showing how to use the word tiovivo.Tatoeba #10079055 by manufrutos, translation #10016415 by AlanF_US
- ¡En un caballo de carrusel, no llegarás muy lejos!On a carousel horse, you will not go very far!This sentence is useful for showing how to use the word carrusel.Tatoeba #10102013 by carlosalberto, translation #10102007 by carlosalberto
- La feria tenía un hermoso carrusel con caballitos de colores.The fair had a beautiful carousel with colorful horses.
- Los niños se divirtieron muchísimo en el tiovivo del parque.The children had a great time on the park's carousel.
- Mis hijos disfrutaron la calesita del parque toda la tarde.My children enjoyed the park's carousel all afternoon.
- El carrusel tiene luces muy brillantes.The carousel has very bright lights.
Example conversation
A father and daughter are at a local fair.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿podemos subir al carrusel?Daniel, can we ride the carousel?
- DanielClaro que sí, Elena.Of course, Elena.
- Elena¡Mira qué hermoso es ese carrusel!Look how beautiful that carousel is!
- DanielEs muy divertido para los niños.It is very fun for the children.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “carousel” translations and entries carrusel, calesita, tiovivo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calesita, tiovivo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
