corte de luz
/koɾte de luθ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, power outage is corte de luz.
The phrase refers to a period of time when the supply of electricity to a building or area is interrupted. You may also use the single word apagón as a common synonym for a power outage or blackout.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, corte de luz translates to 'cut of light'.
Which one should you use?
If you want to be more formal, you can use corte de electricidad (electricity cut-off). For an informal way to say the light went out, use the expression se fue la luz.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun corte is masculine, so when referring to a single outage, you use the indefinite article un to say un corte de luz.
How do you pronounce it?
/koɾte de luθ/
Did you know?
- The word apagón is often used in politics and sociology to describe a total collapse of a system or a period of sudden economic decline, rather than just a loss of electricity.
- The word corte is a homonym in Spanish. While it means 'cut' in corte de luz, it also refers to a 'court' as in the royal palace or a court of law.
- The word corte in corte de luz shares a common ancestor with the English word 'curt', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to cut'.
Examples in context
- El corte de luz fue provocado por una ardilla.The power outage was caused by a squirrel.This sentence shows how to use corte de luz to describe the cause of an outage.Tatoeba #2840498 by marcelostockle, translation #2822508 by Hybrid
- Disculpe, hay un apagón en el edificio. ¿Cuánto tiempo cree que dure?Excuse me, there is a power outage in the building. How long do you think it will last?
- Hubo un corte de luz anoche.There was a power outage last night.
- El corte de luz duró tres horas.The power outage lasted three hours.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking in their living room during the evening.
- Mateo¿Por qué no hay televisión, María?Why is there no television, María?
- MaríaEs por el corte de luz.It is because of the power outage.
- MateoQué mal, no puedo cargar mi móvil.That's bad, I can't charge my phone.
- MaríaEspero que el corte de luz termine pronto.I hope the power outage ends soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries corte, de, luz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
