chalecos salvavidas
/t͡ʃalekos salbabidas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "life vests" is translated into Spanish as chalecos salvavidas.
The term refers to protective jackets worn to keep a person afloat in water.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of chalecos, meaning vests and salvavidas, meaning life-savers or life-saving devices.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, it is common to call life vests both chalecos salvavidas and simply salvavidas.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a single life vest, use the singular form chaleco salvavidas. While salvavidas is an invariable noun regarding gender and number, in the phrase chalecos salvavidas, the word chalecos carries the plural marker while salvavidas remains unchanged.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you ask for a salvavidas, people might point you toward a person (a lifeguard) instead of the equipment.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, the term salvavidas is used for any flotation device, including the bright orange rings thrown to swimmers.
- The word chaleco originally referred to a waist-length garment without sleeves, but in modern Spanish, it is the standard term for any safety vest, including high-visibility ones.
Examples in context
- Bajos sus asientos se encuentran chalecos salvavidas.Life vests are located under your seats.This sentence shows where to find the chalecos salvavidas.Tatoeba #5025119 by don_ramon, translation #5011511 by Hybrid
- Para su seguridad, asegúrese de llevar siempre un chaleco salvavidas en el bote.For your safety, make sure to always wear a life vest on the boat.
- El personal del barco se encargará de proporcionar los chalecos salvavidas antes de embarcar.The boat staff will be in charge of providing the life vests before boarding.
- No te olvides de llevar tu chaleco de salvamento si vamos a nadar en el río.Don't forget to bring your life vest if we're going to swim in the river.
- ¿Tienen salvavidas para niños también?Do you have life vests for children as well?
- Los chalecos salvavidas son obligatorios en el bote.Life vests are mandatory on the boat.
- Necesitamos más chalecos salvavidas para el grupo.We need more life vests for the group.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are preparing for a boat trip.
- Sofía¿Dónde están los chalecos salvavidas, Alejandro?Where are the life vests, Alejandro?
- AlejandroEstán en el maletero del coche.They are in the car trunk.
- SofíaPerfecto, hay que ponérselos ahora.Perfect, we have to put them on now.
- AlejandroTienes razón, es mejor estar seguros.You are right, it is better to be safe.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
