papel
/paˈpel/masculine
The Spanish word for paper is papel.
papel refers to the physical sheet material. It is also used figuratively to describe a role or a part played in a situation or a play, much like in English. To describe something made of paper, you can use the phrase de papel or the adjective papelero.
Meaning: sheet material (noun)
Which one should you use?
While papel is the standard term for the material, you might use documento when referring specifically to a written document or a piece of paper containing information in professional contexts. In informal situations, you can use the diminutive papelito to refer to a small piece of paper.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
papel is a masculine noun, so it is used with the masculine article el to form el papel.
How do you pronounce it?
/paˈpel/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, the phrase hacer un papelón doesn't mean to make a piece of paper, but to make a fool of oneself in public.
- The phrase papel mojado literally means 'wet paper', but it is used idiomatically to describe a law or a treaty that exists on paper but is ignored in practice.
- While papel is the general term, in many professional or legal settings in Spanish, the word papeles in the plural is often used to refer to someone's official identification or residency documents.
Examples in context
- Él nos vende papel.He sells us paper.This sentence is useful for practicing the word papel in a commercial context.Tatoeba #2142155 by marcelostockle, translation #1817072 by Amastan
- Yanni leyó el papel.Yanni read the paper.This sentence shows how papel can refer to a newspaper or written content.Tatoeba #10076955 by manufrutos, translation #10076101 by Amastan
- Se le acabó el papel.She ran out of paper.This sentence demonstrates how to express running out of the material papel.Tatoeba #483416 by Raimondi, translation #314480 by CK
- Por favor, ¿me podrías pasar un poco de papel? Necesito tomar notas.Please, could you pass me some paper? I need to take notes.
- Necesito imprimir el documento y enviarlo por correo.I need to print the document and send it by mail.
- ¡Mira lo que encontré! Es un papelito que me dejó mi amigo.Look what I found! It's a note that my friend left me.
- Puedes escribir tus ideas en esta hoja y luego compartirla conmigo.You can write your ideas on this sheet and then share it with me.
- 204 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are in the office kitchen.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿tienes un trozo de papel?Daniel, do you have a piece of paper?
- DanielSí, tengo papel en mi escritorio.Yes, I have paper on my desk.
- LucíaNecesito escribir una nota rápida.I need to write a quick note.
- DanielToma, aquí tienes el papel.Here, here is the paper.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “paper” translations and entries papel, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
