atascado
/atasˈkado/
In Spanish, the word for jammed is atascado.
Meaning: pertaining to something which is stuck (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Caribbean and Venezuela, the term embotellado/a is commonly used to mean jammed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective atascado must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use atascada for feminine singular nouns, atascados for masculine plural nouns and atascadas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/atasˈkado/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American contexts, calling a person atascado can imply they are 'stuffed' or 'greedy' because they overeat or take too much of something. This moves the meaning from 'stuck' to a personality trait.
- The term embotellado is a metaphor comparing a heavy traffic jam to a glass bottle. It describes a road where cars are packed so tightly they resemble liquid filling a vessel.
- In Spain, the word atasco is used as a noun for a traffic jam, whereas in many other Spanish-speaking regions, the word trancón or tráfico is preferred.
Examples in context
- Nunca había visto tantísimos coches atascados.I've never seen so many cars jammed.This sentence is useful for describing seeing many cars that are atascado.Tatoeba #5710344 by arh, translation #9663019 by DJ_Saidez
- El tráfico está totalmente atascadoThe traffic is completely jammed.
- La cerradura está bloqueadaThe lock is jammed.
- La tubería está obstruidaThe pipe is jammed.
- Mi computadora está trancadaMy computer is jammed.
- Estoy empantanado/a con mi trabajoI'm jammed up with work.
- El papel se ha quedado atascado en la impresora.The paper got jammed in the printer.
- Hay un objeto atascado en el desagüe.There is a jammed object in the drain.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are in the kitchen with a broken dishwasher.
- LucíaEl lavavajillas parece estar atascado.The dishwasher seems to be jammed.
- MateoDéjame revisar el filtro, Lucía.Let me check the filter, Lucia.
- LucíaNo creo que funcione así.I don't think it works like that.
- MateoYa está, ya no está atascado.There it is, it is not jammed anymore.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry atascado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
