carretera
/kareˈteɾa/feminine
The Spanish word for road is carretera. Wiktionary also lists calzada.
Meaning: a way for travel (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carretera | /kareˈteɾa/ | feminine |
| calzada | /kalˈθada/ /kalˈsada/ |
Carretera is the standard term for a highway or a major road connecting towns. If you are referring to a smaller, unpaved or rural road, camino is often a more natural choice than carretera.
Which one should you use?
While carretera refers to the road as a whole, calzada specifically refers to the paved surface or the roadway itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of carretera is carreteras.
How do you pronounce it?
/kareˈteɾa/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word calzada shares a linguistic root with calzado, the word for 'footwear'.
- The word carretera is distantly related to the English word 'car' through the Latin carrus and the Proto-Celtic karros.
- While carretera is used for highways, the word camino is often used metaphorically in Spanish to describe a 'life path' or a spiritual journey.
Examples in context
- Me salí de la carretera.I went off the road.This sentence shows how to describe leaving the carretera.Tatoeba #6629129 by arh, translation #10242041 by LimeGreenTeknii
- La carretera no es buena.The road is not good.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of a carretera.Tatoeba #13687740 by Seael, translation #12049395 by carlosalberto
- Le vi cruzar la carretera.I saw him crossing the road.This sentence shows someone crossing the carretera.Tatoeba #622350 by Shishir, translation #260129 by CK
- Para llegar al pueblo, debes tomar la carretera principal.To get to the town, you must take the main road.
- La casa está al final del camino de piedras.The house is at the end of the stone road.
- La fiesta está en la calle principal.The party is on the main road/street.
- La vía rápida está congestionada hoy.The highway is congested today.
- Viajaremos por la ruta Panamericana.We will travel through the Pan-American highway.
- 108 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María are planning a trip by car.
- Daniel¿Cuál carretera es más rápida para llegar?Which road is faster to get there?
- MaríaLa carretera principal es la mejor opción.The main road is the best option.
- DanielEstá bien, tomaremos esa carretera entonces.All right, we will take that road then.
- MaríaPerfecto, Daniel, yo busco el mapa.Perfect, Daniel, I will look for the map.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “road” translations and entries carretera, calzada, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries calzada, carretera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
