una pulgada
/una pulɡada/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "one inch" is una pulgada.
The phrase refers to the unit of length in the imperial system equivalent to 2.54 centimeters.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, especially Mexico, the phrase Un dieciséis is occasionally used to refer to an inch.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun pulgada is feminine, which is why the number one must be used in its feminine form, una, to say "one inch".
How do you pronounce it?
/una pulɡada/
Did you know?
- The word pulgada evolved from the Vulgar Latin term pollicāta, which describes something the size of a thumb.
- Spanish uses the same root for 'inch' as Portuguese polegada and Galician pulgada, reflecting a shared Roman heritage of using the thumb as a ruler.
- In Spanish, the word for 'thumb' is pulgar, which shares the same linguistic root as pulgada.
Examples in context
- El ancho del papel es de una pulgada.The width of the paper is one inch.
- El grosor es de una pulgada.The thickness is one inch.
- Solo falta una pulgada para terminar.Only one inch is left to finish.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are measuring a picture frame.
- Daniel¿Cuánto mide el marco, Sofía?How much does the frame measure, Sofía?
- SofíaFalta exactamente una pulgada.It is short by exactly one inch.
- DanielEs un error muy pequeño.It is a very small error.
- SofíaSí, pero hay que arreglarlo.Yes, but we have to fix it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pulgada, una, CC BY-SA 4.0.
