cochera
/koˈt͡ʃeɾa/
cochera is the Spanish word for a covered area or building used for parking vehicles.
A cochera is frequently used for a carport or a simpler covered parking area.
What does it mean word for word?
The word comes from coche (car/carriage), originally referring to a place to store horse-drawn carriages.
Which one should you use?
While garaje often implies an enclosed room or a professional repair shop, cochera is frequently used for a carport or a simpler covered parking area.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Peru, particularly in Lima, people use the term cocheras to refer to parking spaces or garages.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is cocheras.
How do you pronounce it?
/koˈtʃeɾa/
Did you know?
- The word cochera is an indirect descendant of the word for 'cook'. Through a long chain of languages, the Latin coquō ('to cook') led to the name of a Hungarian village, Kocs, which became famous for its carriages.
- The suffix -era in cochera acts as a container or place indicator, much like the English suffix '-ery' in 'bakery' or 'fishery'.
- While English speakers use 'garage' for both a home parking spot and a professional repair shop, Spanish speakers use cochera for the home and taller for the repair shop.
Examples in context
- Por favor, ¿puedes estacionar el auto en la cochera?Can you please park the car in the garage?
- Me encantaría tener una cochera techada para proteger mi auto del sol.I would love to have a covered parking space to protect my car from the sun.
- El coche está en la cochera.The car is in the garage.
- Necesitamos construir una cochera nueva.We need to build a new garage.
- La cochera es bastante amplia.The garage is quite spacious.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are arriving at a new house.
- DanielLucía, ¿dónde está la cochera?Lucía, where is the garage?
- LucíaEstá justo al lado de la entrada.It is right next to the entrance.
- DanielPerfecto, voy a estacionar el coche ahí.Perfect, I am going to park the car there.
- LucíaEstá bien, Daniel, yo entro primero.That is fine, Daniel, I will go in first.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cochera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cochera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
