interestatal
/inteɾestatal/from spelling rulesfeminine
The Spanish word for 'interstate' (referring to a U.S. freeway) is interestatal.
The term interestatal is used to refer to an interstate highway. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'of, or relating to two or more states'.
Meaning: U.S. freeway (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word contains the prefix inter-, which is identical to the English prefix meaning 'between' or 'among'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form interestatal is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/inteɾestatal/
Did you know?
- In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, the concept of a high-speed controlled-access highway is more commonly called an autopista rather than interestatal.
- While interestatal is the formal term, many Spanish speakers in the U.S. treat the English word as a noun and call it la interstate.
- The prefix inter- in interestatal traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁n̥tér, which is a distant ancestor shared by both the Spanish and English versions of the word.
Examples in context
- Dan dejó su auto abandonado en la interestatal.Dan left his car abandoned on the Interstate.This sentence shows how to use interestatal when talking about a car left on the road.Tatoeba #7033212 by Eremon, translation #3991309 by Amastan
- Mi familia y yo viajamos por la autopista interestatal para llegar a California.My family and I traveled on the interstate to reach California.
- La carretera interestatal 5 está congestionada debido a un accidente.Interstate 5 is congested due to an accident.
- La interestatal está muy congestionada hoy.The interstate is very congested today.
- Hay un accidente en la interestatal.There is an accident on the interstate.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are discussing their driving route.
- Mateo¿Tomamos la carretera o la interestatal?Should we take the road or the interstate?
- SofíaPrefiero la interestatal porque es más rápida.I prefer the interstate because it is faster.
- MateoEstá bien, yo manejo por la interestatal.Alright, I will drive on the interstate.
- SofíaPerfecto, Mateo, gracias.Perfect, Mateo, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “interstate” translations and entries interestatal, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries interestatal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
