cohete espacial
/koete espaθjal/from spelling rules
The English phrase "rocket ship" is translated into Spanish as cohete espacial.
The term refers to a vehicle designed to travel into outer space.
Which one should you use?
While cohete espacial is the full phrase for rocket ship, in many contexts the word cohete alone is sufficient to refer to a rocket ship.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the plural ending -s, resulting in cohetes espaciales.
Did you know?
- The word cohete shares a common ancestor with the English word 'tail', tracing back to the Latin word cauda. This is because early rockets were often compared to objects with a trailing tail, such as firework rockets.
- In common slang or informal speech in some regions, calling someone a cohete can imply they are very fast or have a very high energy level, similar to how one might describe a 'firecracker' in English.
- While 'rocket ship' is a single concept in English, Spanish speakers often use the word nave (ship or vessel) more frequently than cohete when discussing space travel in a professional or scientific context.
Examples in context
- La agencia espacial lanzó un cohete espacial al espacio.The space agency launched a rocket ship into space.
- ¿Viste el cohete que despegó ayer?Did you see the rocket that took off yesterday?
- El cohete espacial despegó con éxito.The rocket ship launched successfully.
- El cohete espacial despegó ayer.The rocket ship took off yesterday.
- Vimos un cohete espacial en la televisión.We saw a rocket ship on television.
- Diseñan un nuevo cohete espacial muy grande.They are designing a very large new rocket ship.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are looking at a museum exhibit.
- ElenaMira ese cohete espacial, Javier.Look at that rocket ship, Javier.
- JavierEs enorme, Elena.It is huge, Elena.
- Elena¿Crees que el cohete espacial llegó a Marte?Do you think the rocket ship reached Mars?
- JavierSí, creo que fue así.Yes, I think it did.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cohete, CC BY-SA 4.0.
