paracaídas
/paɾakaˈidas/masculine
The Spanish word for parachute is paracaídas.
paracaídas is the most common and standard term for a parachute. For a more specialized context, you can use the term paracaídas de emergencia to refer specifically to an emergency parachute. If you want to express the action of jumping with a parachute, use the phrase lanzarse en paracaídas.
Meaning: device designed to control the fall of an object or person (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word paracaídas is a compound of para (meaning to stop or block) and caídas (meaning falls).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun paracaídas is invariable in number. This means the word remains the same whether you are referring to one parachute or multiple parachutes.
How do you pronounce it?
/paɾakaˈidas/
Did you know?
- In Spanish politics, the term paracaidista refers to a candidate who is placed in a district where they have no local ties to ensure a win.
- The prefix para- in paracaídas creates a family of 'stopper' words, such as paraguas for umbrellas and parachoques for bumpers.
- In some Latin American contexts, the term paracaidismo can be used colloquially to describe someone who crashes a party or event uninvited.
Examples in context
- ¿Y si el paracaídas no se abre?What if the parachute doesn't open?This sentence is useful for expressing a concern about whether the paracaídas will open.Tatoeba #10237974 by manufrutos, translation #10233153 by ddnktr
- El paracaídas de Tomás no se abrió.Tom's parachute didn't open.This sentence is useful for describing a situation where a paracaídas failed to open.Tatoeba #4797717 by alegarvid, translation #2250326 by CK
- El piloto saltó con el paracaídas pocos instantes antes de la caída del avión.The pilot jumped from the plane with his parachute right before the plane crashed.This sentence is useful for describing a pilot using a paracaídas during an aircraft crash.Tatoeba #1288640 by hayastan, translation #9149146 by rafaeldejesus8199
- Ella saltó en paracaídasShe went skydiving
- Los pilotos siempre llevan un paracaídas de emergenciaPilots always carry an emergency parachute
- Antes de saltar en paracaídas, asegúrate de que el paracaídas de emergencia esté en buen estado.Before skydiving, make sure the emergency parachute is in good condition.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are preparing for a skydiving jump.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿está listo tu paracaídas?Daniel, is your parachute ready?
- DanielSí, el instructor ya revisó el paracaídas.Yes, the instructor already checked the parachute.
- Elena¡Qué miedo! Espero que todo funcione bien.I'm so scared! I hope everything works well.
- DanielNo te preocupes, Elena, es muy seguro.Don't worry, Elena, it is very safe.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “parachute” translations and entries paracaídas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
