calefacción
/kalefaɡˈθjon/feminine
The Spanish word for heating is calefacción.
calefacción is used to refer to a heating system. It is the most common and widely understood term for this concept in Spanish. To say you are turning the heating on, you can use the phrase encender la calefacción and to turn it off, use apagar la calefacción.
Meaning: system (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine, so you use the definite article la when saying la calefacción. The plural form is las calefacciones.
How do you pronounce it?
/kalefaɡˈθjon/
Did you know?
- The word calefacción shares a root with the English word 'caloric', which was once used to describe a hypothetical fluid that caused heat.
- In Spain, it is common to use poner la calefacción to mean turning the heating on, even though poner literally means 'to put'.
- While calefacción refers to the system, a person might say tengo frío to ask someone to turn it up, rather than mentioning the device itself.
Examples in context
- ¡Qué bien tener calefacción!It's so nice to have heating.This sentence shows how to express appreciation for having heating.Tatoeba #7468920 by arh, translation #9524887 by DJ_Saidez
- Esta escuela no tiene calefacción.This school has no heating.This sentence is useful for stating that a building lacks a heating system.Tatoeba #1732095 by marcelostockle, translation #59927 by CK
- Tenemos un buen sistema de calefacción.We have a good heating system.This sentence demonstrates how to describe a specific heating system.Tatoeba #1065281 by hayastan, translation #65602 by CK
- El sistema de calefacción central es muy eficiente.The central heating system is very efficient.
- La calefacción es esencial en las regiones frías.Heating is essential in cold regions.
- Necesitamos arreglar la calefacción eléctrica.We need to fix the electric heating.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are in their living room during winter.
- AlejandroLa calefacción no funciona.The heating is not working.
- ElenaEs necesario llamar al técnico.It is necessary to call the technician.
- AlejandroTengo mucho frío.I am very cold.
- ElenaYo también necesito una manta.I need a blanket too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “heating” translations and entries calefacción, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calefacción, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
