gasolina
/ɡasoˈlina/
The Spanish word for petrol is gasolina.
The term refers to a refined petroleum product used as fuel for internal combustion engines in vehicles.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, particularly Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, nafta is often used instead of gasolina to refer to petrol.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡasoˈlina/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the phrase estar sin gasolina is used metaphorically to describe a person who is completely exhausted or burnt out.
- While gasolina refers to the fuel, Spanish speakers use the word gas specifically for natural gas or LPG, not as a shorthand for petrol like Americans do.
- The word gasolina is a direct loan from the English word 'gasoline', following the same linguistic path into Spanish.
Examples in context
- Nos quedamos sin gasolina.We ran out of petrol.This sentence is useful for saying that you ran out of gasolina.Tatoeba #1712157 by teskmon, translation #1013928 by BE
- ¡Oh, no! Nos estamos quedando sin gasolina.Oh, no! We're running out of petrol.This sentence is useful for expressing that you are currently running out of gasolina.Tatoeba #11683005 by Seael, translation #11642650 by sundown
- Nuestro auto se quedó sin gasolina después de diez minutos.Our car ran out of petrol after ten minutes.This sentence is useful for describing a car that ran out of gasolina after a specific amount of time.Tatoeba #5023172 by don_ramon, translation #247551 by sundown
- Tengo que ir a la gasolinera para llenar el tanque del coche. ¡Se me está acabando la gasolina!I have to go to the gas station to fill up the car's tank. I'm running out of petrol!
- Voy a repostar: necesito echarle gas al auto.I'm going to refuel: I need to put petrol in the car.
- Me olvidé de cargar nafta antes de salir. Ahora tendré que parar en la próxima estación de servicio.I forgot to fill up with petrol before leaving. Now I'll have to stop at the next gas station.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are at a gas station in a car.
- Sofía¿Cuánto cuesta la gasolina hoy?How much does petrol cost today?
- MateoEs bastante cara ahora.It is quite expensive now.
- SofíaNecesito llenar el tanque con gasolina.I need to fill the tank with petrol.
- MateoEstá bien, yo pago.Okay, I will pay.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gasolina, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gasolina, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
