cuentas de vidrio
/kwentas de bidɾjo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "glass beads" is translated into Spanish as cuentas de vidrio.
cuentas de vidrio refers to small, round pieces of glass with a hole for making jewelry or decorations.
What does it mean word for word?
The word cuentas literally means "counts" or "accounts", but in the context of jewelry, it refers to beads.
Which one should you use?
The specific term mostacillas is often used to refer to very small glass seed beads used in jewelry making. An informal way to say "glass beads" is cuentitas de vidrio.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, particularly in Latin America, the term mostacillas is commonly used to refer to glass beads.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a single glass bead, use the singular form cuenta de vidrio.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, cuenta can mean a bead, a mathematical calculation, or a bank account, reflecting the concept of a single unit in a sequence.
- The Spanish word cuentas shares the same root as the English word 'account', since both originate from the act of counting objects one by one.
- The word vidrio has a 'doublet' in Spanish, vítreo, which means 'glassy' and is used more in scientific or formal contexts.
Examples in context
- cuentas de vidrio transparenteTransparent glass beads
- cuentas de vidrio coloridasColorful glass beads
- cuentas de vidrio hechas a manoHandmade glass beads
- Compré muchas cuentas de vidrio para el collar.I bought many glass beads for the necklace.
- Estas cuentas de vidrio son de color azul.These glass beads are blue.
- Necesito cuentas de vidrio para mi manualidad.I need glass beads for my craft.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are at a craft store.
- Elena¿Tienes cuentas de vidrio en este color?Do you have glass beads in this color?
- AlejandroSí, las tenemos en el pasillo de joyería.Yes, we have them in the jewelry aisle.
- ElenaPerfecto, buscaré las cuentas de vidrio ahora.Perfect, I will look for the glass beads now.
- AlejandroDe acuerdo, avísame si necesitas algo más.Alright, let me know if you need anything else.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, vidrio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
