puerto
/ˈpweɾto/
puerto is the Spanish word for port or harbor.
puerto means a port or harbor. In formal contexts, the term dársena may be used specifically to refer to a dock or basin within a port.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the term embarcadero is used for a small dock or landing place. In certain Latin American countries, caleta refers to a small port or fishing cove.
How does it change in a sentence?
puerto is a masculine noun. The plural form is puertos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpweɾto/
Did you know?
- While puerto usually means a harbor, in the context of mountains, a puerto de montaña refers to a mountain pass or the highest point of a road crossing a range.
- The word puerto is closely related to the Spanish word puerta, meaning 'door', as both originate from the concept of an opening or a point of entry.
- The word puerto shares a common ancestor with the English word 'ford', both tracing back to a root meaning 'to cross'.
Examples in context
- San Juan es la capital de Puerto Rico.San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico.This example shows the use of puerto in the name of a country.Tatoeba #7910026 by MarijnKp, translation #7909140 by MarijnKp
- El puerto de Valencia es uno de los más importantes en España.The port of Valencia is one of the most important in Spain.
- El barco descargó su carga en la dársena del puerto.The ship unloaded its cargo in the dock of the port.
- Mi familia tiene un velero en la marina del puerto de Acapulco.My family has a sailboat at the marina in Acapulco's port.
- Juan trabaja como aduanero en el puerto de Buenos Aires.Juan works as a customs officer at the port of Buenos Aires.
- El domingo fuimos al puerto y disfrutamos de una deliciosa paella.On Sunday, we went to the port and enjoyed a delicious paella.
- El barco llegó al puerto muy temprano.The ship arrived at the port very early.
- Estamos caminando cerca del puerto.We are walking near the port.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are standing on the coast looking at the sea.
- MateoMira ese barco en el puerto.Look at that ship in the port.
- LucíaEs un puerto muy grande, Mateo.It is a very large port, Mateo.
- Mateo¿Quieres ir a caminar hacia allá?Do you want to go walk towards there?
- LucíaSí, me encantaría.Yes, I would love to.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry puerto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries puerto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
