manchas de agua dura
/mant͡ʃas de aɡwa duɾa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "hard water spots" is translated into Spanish as manchas de agua dura.
This phrase refers to the mineral deposits left on a surface after water evaporates. It is a formal way to describe these marks.
Which one should you use?
You can also use manchas de agua calcárea specifically when referring to spots caused by high levels of calcium.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, manchas de agua dura is used to refer to hard water spots. In Mexico, you can use either manchas de sarro or manchas de cal.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are referring to a single spot rather than multiple marks, change the plural manchas to the singular mancha to say mancha de agua dura.
How do you pronounce it?
/mantʃas de aɡwa duɾa/
Did you know?
- In Mexico, the word sarro used in manchas de sarro refers to the same mineral buildup found in pipes but also describes the plaque that builds up on human teeth.
- The term sarro comes from the Arabic word 'sarū', which relates to the idea of a crust or scale forming over a surface.
- The word agua is feminine in gender, but it uses the masculine article el in the singular form el agua to avoid a phonetic clash.
Examples in context
- Hay manchas de agua dura en los vasos después de lavarlos.There are hard water spots on the glasses after washing them.
- ¿Sabes cómo quitar las manchas de agua calcárea de la ducha?Do you know how to remove hard water spots from the shower?
- No me gustan las manchas de agua dura en el vidrio.I do not like the hard water spots on the glass.
- Hay muchas manchas de agua dura en los grifos.There are many hard water spots on the faucets.
- Este limpiador elimina las manchas de agua dura fácilmente.This cleaner removes hard water spots easily.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are cleaning the bathroom together.
- SofíaJavier, ¿puedes limpiar estas manchas de agua dura?Javier, can you clean these hard water spots?
- JavierSí, Sofía. ¿Dónde está el producto limpiador?Yes, Sofía. Where is the cleaning product?
- SofíaEstá sobre el lavabo, al lado del jabón.It is on the sink, next to the soap.
- JavierPerfecto, ahora quitaré todas las manchas.Perfect, now I will remove all the spots.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
