Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dinero | /diˈneɾo/ | masculine |
| cash | /ˈkaʃ/ /ˈkas/ (Spain) |
|
| lana | /ˈlana/ | Mexico |
| pasta | /ˈpasta/ | Spain |
| pisto | /ˈpisto/ | El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, masculine |
| plata | /ˈplata/ | Latin America, feminine |
| real | /reˈal/ | Venezuela, masculine |
| el vil metal | /el ˌbil meˈtal/ | colloquial, masculine |
| vento | /ˈbento/ | South America, masculine |
| pecunia | /peˈkunja/ | feminine |
| efectivo | /efeɡˈtibo/ | masculine |
| guita | /ˈɡita/ | feminine |
In Spanish, several words are used to refer to currency or money, depending on whether you are speaking generally or using specific slang.
Which one should you use?
While dinero refers to money in a general sense, efectivo is used specifically when referring to physical cash or liquid funds.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Dinero is the standard term. For a more cynical or colloquial tone, you can use the phrase el vil metal, which literally translates to "the vile metal." Other terms like lana, pasta, plata and pisto are colloquialisms used in specific regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Various regions have their own colloquial terms for money: lana is common in Mexico. pasta is used in Spain. plata is very common throughout much of Latin America. pisto is used in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. real is used in Venezuela. vento is used in South America. And guita is another form used in certain areas. In Guatemala, plata is a colloquial term, while the slang term feria is used to mean cash or dough.
How does it change in a sentence?
dinero is a masculine singular noun. plata, pecunia and guita are feminine nouns. pisto, real, el vil metal and vento are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/diˈneɾo/
Did you know?
- The word dinero is actually a distant relative of the number ten, as it evolved from the Latin term dēnārius, which originally referred to a coin worth ten units.
- The Mexican slang lana literally means 'wool', referencing a time when wool was a valuable trade commodity.
- In some regions, the word feria is used for cash, though it usually refers to a 'fair' or 'festival' in standard Spanish.
Examples in context
- Le di el dinero.I gave him the money.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of dinero to indicate the recipient of money.Tatoeba #1082695 by Shishir, translation #6956282 by kaiperkins271
- Él nos da dinero.He gives us money.This sentence shows how to use dinero as an object in a sentence.Tatoeba #2224459 by Shishir, translation #1817019 by Amastan
- El dinero es todo.Money is everything.This sentence demonstrates the use of dinero as a subject.Tatoeba #1011075 by hayastan, translation #277172 by CM
- Necesito cambiar dineroI need to exchange money
- Por favor, deme el dinero en billetes pequeñosPlease give me the money in small bills
- Tenemos que invertir un poco de capitalWe need to invest some money
- Las empresas necesitan capital para crecerCompanies need money to grow
- No tengo plata para salir este fin de semanaI don't have money to go out this weekend
- Ese trabajo me generó mucha plataThat job made me a lot of money
- 2050 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are deciding how to pay for dinner.
- ElenaNo tengo suficiente dinero en efectivo.I don't have enough cash.
- MateoNo te preocupes, yo pago hoy.Don't worry, I'll pay today.
- ElenaTe doy el dinero mañana, Mateo.I'll give you the money tomorrow, Mateo.
- MateoEstá bien, no hay problema.That's fine, no problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations and entries dinero, cash, lana, pasta, pisto, plata, real, el vil metal, vento, pecunia, efectivo, guita, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dinero, lana, pasta, pisto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
