dirección postal
/diɾeɡθjon postal/from spelling rules
The English phrase "mailing address" is translated into Spanish as dirección postal.
dirección postal refers to the specific location where a person or organization receives mail. In most Spanish-speaking countries, you will use the word Calle to denote "Street" when writing out an address.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of dirección (address/direction) and postal (postal/mailing).
Which one should you use?
While dirección can mean "address" in general, adding postal specifies that it refers to a location for receiving mail.
How do you pronounce it?
/diɾeɡθjon postal/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say dirección de correo when they mean "mailing address". While understandable, dirección postal is the standard term for a physical mailing location.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, an address might not use a house number at all, but instead rely on 'entre calles' to describe a location between two specific streets.
- While dirección means 'address', it is also the word used for 'management' or 'board of directors' in a business context.
- The word postal is derived from the word posta, which historically referred to the system of waystations where messengers could change horses to ensure fast travel.
Examples in context
- Mi dirección postal es novecientos veinte Broadway.My mailing address is 920 Broadway.This sentence is useful for practicing how to state your dirección postal.Tatoeba #456404 by lukaszpp, translation #456403 by lukaszpp
- ¿Podría confirmar su dirección postal, por favor?Could you confirm your mailing address, please?
- Necesito escribir la dirección postal en el sobre.I need to write the mailing address on the envelope.
Example conversation
Alejandro is helping María fill out a registration form.
- AlejandroMaría, ¿cuál es tu dirección postal?María, what is your mailing address?
- MaríaEs Calle Mayor número diez.It is Calle Mayor number ten.
- AlejandroPerfecto, ya la tengo anotada.Perfect, I have it noted down now.
- MaríaMuchas gracias por tu ayuda.Thank you very much for your help.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dirección, postal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
