el carro
/el karo/from spelling rules
el carro is the Spanish phrase for the English "the car".
This phrase refers to a road vehicle with four wheels and an engine used for transporting people. Depending on the context, the noun carro can also literally mean a cart or a wagon.
What does it mean word for word?
The word carro can mean a cart or a wagon.
Which one should you use?
In Spain, el coche is the more common term for an automobile. In many Latin American regions, el auto is used interchangeably with el carro.
Is it said differently in some regions?
el carro is widely used in many Latin American countries as a general term for a car.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, change the article to los and add -s to the noun to get los carros.
Did you know?
- The word carro is a distant relative of the English word 'horse'. Both can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱers-, which relates to movement and running.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, carro is used specifically for a shopping cart, while coche refers to the automobile. Using the wrong word in a supermarket could cause a brief moment of confusion.
- If you use el carro to refer to an automobile while in Spain, people will understand you, but they will likely assume you are talking about a horse-drawn cart or a heavy wagon.
Examples in context
- Necesito comprar un automóvil nuevoI need to buy a new car
- Voy a ir en coche a la reuniónI'm going to the meeting by car
- El vehículo está en el tallerThe car is in the workshop
- Vamos en el carro a la playaLet's go to the beach in the car
- ¡Me encanta tu coche nuevo!I love your new car!
- Voy a comprar un auto usadoI'm going to buy a used car
- Voy a estacionar el carrito en esa calleI'm going to park the small car on that street
- El carro es rojo.The car is red.
- Necesito lavar el carro hoy.I need to wash the car today.
- ¿Dónde está el carro?Where is the car?
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are deciding how to get to the store.
- MateoElena, ¿vamos en el carro?Elena, shall we go in the car?
- ElenaNo, el carro no tiene gasolina.No, the car has no gas.
- MateoEntonces podemos ir caminando.Then we can go walking.
- ElenaSí, es mejor caminar hoy.Yes, it is better to walk today.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carro, el, CC BY-SA 4.0.
