camión de la basura
/kamjon de la basuɾa/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase 'garbage truck' is camión de la basura in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists (camión) basurero.
Meaning: waste collection vehicle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| camión de la basura | /kamjon de la basuɾa/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| (camión) basurero | /kaˈmjon basuˈɾeɾo/ (word by word) | masculine |
The term refers to a vehicle used for waste collection. You can use the descriptive phrase camión de la basura widely across the Spanish-speaking world, or the single word basurero to refer to the vehicle.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase camión de la basura literally translates to 'truck of the garbage'.
Which one should you use?
Camión de la basura is a common descriptive phrase. While basurero can mean 'garbage truck', be aware that it can also mean 'garbage man' depending on the context of your sentence.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the specific term camión recolector de residuos is used for a garbage truck.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the arrival of the camión de la basura is often signaled by a specific loud bell or music to alert residents to bring out their bins.
- The word camión shares a surprising linguistic history with the French word 'chemin', which means 'path' or 'way'.
- In some regions, referring to a person as a basurero can be seen as a social class marker, whereas in others it is a neutral job description.
Examples in context
- El camión de la basura suele pasar a las cuatro de la madrugada.The garbage truck tends to come around at four in the morning.This sentence shows the typical schedule of the camión de la basura.Tatoeba #8149559 by Seael, translation #8273830 by lunchmeat317
- El camión de la basura dejó de pasar la mañana en que Milena partió.The garbage truck stopped coming the morning Milena left.This sentence describes when the camión de la basura stopped arriving.Tatoeba #8252719 by MilkFrosties, translation #8271865 by lunchmeat317
- Donde vivía en Londres, el camión de la basura pasaba por la tarde una vez a la semana.When I lived in London, the garbage truck came around in the afternoon once a week.This sentence illustrates how often the camión de la basura passed in a different location.Tatoeba #8149575 by Seael, translation #8273829 by lunchmeat317
- ¿Sabes dónde está el camión de la basura hoy?Do you know where the garbage truck is today?
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are at home early in the morning.
- JavierYa viene el camión de la basura.The garbage truck is coming now.
- Sofía¡Qué bueno! Sácalo antes de que pase.Great! Take it out before it passes.
- JavierVoy ahora mismo, Sofía.I'm going right now, Sofía.
- SofíaGracias, Javier.Thanks, Javier.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “garbage truck” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (camión, basurero) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries basura, basurero, camión, de, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
