microondas
/mikɾoondas/from spelling rulesmasculine
The Spanish word for microwave is microondas.
In Spanish, the word for the appliance is the same word used for the waves themselves (microondas), though it is almost always used to refer to the oven.
Meaning: ellipsis of microwave oven (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun microondas is masculine and is used with the masculine article el. The word microondas is an invariable noun, meaning it does not change its spelling in the plural form. Only the article changes from el to los.
How do you pronounce it?
/mikɾoondas/
Did you know?
- When discussing the act of heating food, Spanish speakers often use the verb calentar rather than a specific verb for microwaving.
- While microondas is the standard term, some Spanish speakers colloquially refer to the appliance as the micro, shortening the word even further.
- The term microondas was originally the plural form of the word microonda, which refers to a single microwave.
Examples in context
- Tom no tiene un microondas.Tom doesn't have a microwave oven.This sentence is useful for saying someone does not own a microwave using microondas.Tatoeba #1433293 by marcelostockle, translation #1026169 by CK
- Jamás aprendí a usar un microondas.I never learned how to use a microwave oven.This sentence is useful for saying you never learned how to use a microwave using microondas.Tatoeba #2260375 by marcelostockle, translation #2260377 by marcelostockle
- Por favor pon esto en el microondas.Please put this in the microwave oven.This sentence is useful for asking someone to put something in the microwave using microondas.Tatoeba #1349869 by marcelostockle, translation #632466 by CK
- En la cocina profesional, es esencial contar con un microondas de última generación.In a professional kitchen, it is essential to have a state-of-the-art microwave.
- Para descongelar rápidamente, coloque el alimento en el horno microondas a potencia media.To quickly defrost, place the food in the microwave oven at medium power.
- Calienta el café en el micro.Heat up the coffee in the microwave.
- Calienta la comida en el micro.Heat the food in the microwave.
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are in the kitchen preparing lunch.
- MaríaMateo, ¿está limpio el microondas?Mateo, is the microwave clean?
- MateoSí, lo limpié esta mañana.Yes, I cleaned it this morning.
- MaríaPerfecto, voy a calentar la sopa.Perfect, I am going to heat up the soup.
- MateoEstá bien, usa el microondas entonces.That's fine, use the microwave then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “microwave” translations and entries microondas, 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 microondas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
