tomar tu vuelo
/tomaɾ tu bwelo/from spelling rules
To catch your flight in Spanish is tomar tu vuelo.
This phrase is used to describe arriving at the airport in time to board a scheduled airplane.
Which one should you use?
While tomar tu vuelo uses the possessive 'your', it is often more natural in many Spanish-speaking contexts to say tomar el vuelo, which means 'to catch the flight'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using atrapar tu vuelo. Although atrapar can mean 'to catch' in a physical sense, it sounds unnatural when referring to catching a flight.
Did you know?
- The verb tomar is so versatile that in many Spanish-speaking countries it is the standard word for 'to drink', meaning you might 'catch' a flight and 'catch' a soda using the same word.
- The Spanish word vuelo shares a deep ancestral root with the Latin word volāre, which is also the ancestor of the English word 'volatile'.
- In some Latin American regions, if you say you are tomando something without specifying the flight, listeners might assume you are taking a medication or a taxi rather than heading to the airport.
Examples in context
- María, asegúrate de tomar tu vuelo a tiempo.Maria, make sure to catch your flight on time.
- Si no pillas el avión, te quedas sin vacaciones.If you don't catch your flight, you'll miss your vacation.
- Debes salir ya para tomar tu vuelo.You should leave now to catch your flight.
Example conversation
Lucía is helping Alejandro pack his bags for a trip.
- LucíaAlejandro, date prisa para tomar tu vuelo.Alejandro, hurry up to catch your flight.
- AlejandroNo te preocupes, el avión sale tarde.Don't worry, the plane leaves late.
- LucíaEl tráfico está muy mal hoy.The traffic is very bad today.
- AlejandroTienes razón, voy a salir ahora mismo.You're right, I'm going to leave right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tomar, tu, vuelo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
