vaso de vidrio
/baso de bidɾjo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, a glass cup is vaso de vidrio.
The phrase vaso de vidrio refers to a drinking container made of glass. While you can simply say vaso if the material is already understood from the context, adding de vidrio specifically clarifies that the cup is made of glass rather than plastic.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of vaso (cup or glass), de (of) and vidrio (glass material).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain regions of Mexico and the Caribbean, people use copita de vidrio to refer to a glass cup, particularly for smaller-sized cups or those used for alcoholic beverages.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, change vaso to vasos and keep de vidrio the same, resulting in vasos de vidrio.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the word copa to refer to any glass. In Spanish, copa specifically refers to stemmed glassware such as a wine glass, whereas vaso refers to standard cylindrical drinking glasses.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, vaso is used for both a drinking glass and a medical blood vessel. The word is used to describe any vessel that contains or transports fluid.
- Using vaso to refer to a glass of water is common, but using it for a coffee cup is usually a mistake. For coffee or tea, Spanish speakers use taza, which refers to a handled ceramic cup.
- The Spanish word vidrio is a distant relative of the English word 'vitreous'. Both descend from the Latin term vitrum for glass.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría un vaso de cristal, por favorI would like a glass cup, please
- ¿Me pasas un vaso de vidrio, por favor?Could you pass me a glass cup, please?
- Esa taza de vidrio sería un buen recuerdoThat glass mug would be a good souvenir
- Siempre utilizábamos los vasitos de cristal de la abuelaWe always used Grandma's little glass cups
- Necesito un vaso de vidrio para el agua.I need a glass cup for the water.
- Ten cuidado con ese vaso de vidrio.Be careful with that glass cup.
- El vaso de vidrio está sobre la mesa.The glass cup is on the table.
Example conversation
In a kitchen while preparing drinks.
- Daniel¿Dónde está el vaso de vidrio?Where is the glass cup?
- LucíaEstá en el estante de la cocina.It is on the kitchen shelf.
- DanielGracias, Lucía.Thanks, Lucía.
- LucíaDe nada, Daniel.You're welcome, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, vaso, vidrio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
