Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| escala | /esˈkala/ | feminine |
| parada en el camino | /paɾada en el kamino/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
The most common way to express a layover in Spanish is by using the word escala. This term is used to refer to any intermediate stop during a journey, encompassing both short layovers and longer stopovers.
Which one should you use?
While escala covers both layovers and stopovers, you may also see the phrase parada en el camino used to describe a stop along a route.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Latin America, escala may be replaced with conexión to describe a layover.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because escala is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine article una when referring to a single layover (e.g., una escala). If you want to say that you are 'having a layover' or 'making a connection', use the verbal phrase hacer escala.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˈkala/
Did you know?
- The word escala shares a linguistic ancestor with the Italian scala, which comes from the Byzantine Greek skála and originally referred to a landing stage or stairs.
- Beyond travel, escala is used in Spanish to describe the magnitude or size of something, such as when a project is 'on a large scale' (a gran escala).
- In Spanish, the word escala is used for both a travel layover and a map's scale, meaning the same word describes a physical stop and a mathematical ratio.
Examples in context
- Tengo una escala de dos horas en Madrid.I have a two-hour layover in Madrid.
- El avión hace una breve parada técnica en México.The plane has a short layover in Mexico.
- Voy a tener una escala de cuatro horas en Buenos Aires.I'm going to have a four-hour layover in Buenos Aires.
- Vamos a hacer una parada de una hora en Barcelona.We are going to have a one-hour layover in Barcelona.
- Tenemos una escala breve en Lima.We have a short layover in Lima.
- Tengo una escala en Madrid.I have a layover in Madrid.
- Tengo una escala larga en Madrid.I have a long layover in Madrid.
- La escala es de solo dos horas.The layover is only two hours.
Example conversation
Two travelers are discussing their flight itinerary at an airport.
- María¿Cuánto tiempo dura nuestra escala en Panamá?How long is our layover in Panama?
- AlejandroLa escala es de cinco horas, María.The layover is five hours, Maria.
- MaríaEs suficiente tiempo para comer algo.It is enough time to eat something.
- AlejandroSí, podemos caminar un poco por el aeropuerto.Yes, we can walk around the airport a bit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “layover” translations and entries escala, 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 camino, el, en, escala, parada, CC BY-SA 4.0.
