ferrocarril
/ferokaˈril/
The English word railroad is translated into Spanish as ferrocarril.
The term ferrocarril refers to the entire railroad system, the service or the company. If you want to talk specifically about the physical tracks or the rail line, the phrase vía férrea is often used.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the system and the vehicle. While ferrocarril refers to the entire railroad system or infrastructure, the word tren refers specifically to the vehicle (the train) itself.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the most common word for railroad is ferrocarril.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ferrocarril is ferrocarriles.
How do you pronounce it?
/ferokaˈril/
Did you know?
- The second half of the word, carril, shares an ancient root with the Latin word 'currus', which means 'chariot'.
- The word ferro in ferrocarril is a cognate of the English word 'ferrous', used in science to describe things containing iron.
- The term carril is also used in many Spanish-speaking countries to refer to a 'lane' on a highway, much like an English speaker refers to a 'traffic lane'.
Examples in context
- Este ferrocarril termina aquí.This railroad ends here.This sentence is useful for describing the end point of a ferrocarril.Tatoeba #13368752 by mexicanhere, translation #9916987 by Ergulis
- Algunos trenes de ferrocarril nuevos van muy rápidos.Some new railroad trains go very fast.This sentence is useful for describing the speed of new ferrocarril trains.Tatoeba #462455 by lukaszpp, translation #462454 by lukaszpp
- El coste de construir el ferrocarril era demasiado alto.The cost of building the railroad was very high.This sentence is useful for discussing the cost of building a ferrocarril.Tatoeba #854246 by Ragal, translation #807629 by Source_VOA
- El ferrocarril conectaría dos ciudadesThe railroad would connect two cities
- Debemos revisar el estado de la vía férreaWe should check the condition of the railroad tracks
- El accidente ocurrió cerca de la víaThe accident happened near the railroad tracks
- El ferrocarril atraviesa varios países de Sudamérica.The railroad crosses several South American countries.
- Vamos a caminar cerca de la vía férrea.Let's walk near the railroad tracks.
- El accidente ocurrió cerca de la vía y afortunadamente no hubo heridos.The accident happened near the railroad tracks, and luckily, there were no injuries.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are looking at an old map of the city.
- LucíaMira, aquí estaba el antiguo ferrocarril.Look, the old railroad was here.
- DanielNo sabía que existía un ferrocarril aquí.I didn't know there was a railroad here.
- LucíaSí, Daniel, conectaba con el puerto.Yes, Daniel, it connected with the port.
- DanielEs increíble cómo cambió la ciudad.It's incredible how the city changed.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ferrocarril, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ferrocarril, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
