teja
/ˈtexa/
The English word shingle translates to Spanish as teja.
teja refers to a small, thin piece of building material. While 'shingle' in English often refers to a specific thin piece of material, 'teja' is more broadly used for any roof tile, including ceramic ones. For specific materials, you might use Teja asfáltica for asphalt or bitumen shingles or Tablilla de madera for wooden shingles in some Latin American countries.
Meaning: small, thin piece of building material (noun)
Which one should you use?
teja is a general term for a roof tile, whereas the English word shingle often implies a specific type of thin material. In Spain, the phrase Techo de tejas is used to describe a tiled roof, often made of ceramic or clay shingles.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Caribbean, the term Teja criolla is used to describe local, traditional tiles or shingles. In some Latin American countries, Tablilla de madera is a term used to refer to wooden shingles.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is teja, and the plural form is tejas. The related verb techar means to cover with shingles (building material).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtexa/
Did you know?
- While English uses 'shingle' for both roofs and beach stones, Spanish uses teja only for roofs, while using guijarro for the small stones.
- The word teja shares an unexpected historical connection with the Spanish word tarro, which means 'jar' or 'pot'.
- In colonial architecture, the teja criolla was often designed with a curved shape to allow water to run off during tropical rainstorms.
Examples in context
- Aquí, comúnmente se usan tejas de cerámica o tejas asfálticas.Here, ceramic tiles or asphalt shingles are commonly used.
- El tejado está cubierto de tejas.The roof is covered with shingles.
- La teja es de color rojo.The shingle is red.
- Necesito una teja nueva para el tejado.I need a new shingle for the roof.
- Esa teja se rompió con el granizo.That shingle broke with the hail.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are checking the roof after a storm.
- Mateo¿Ves esa teja rota?Do you see that broken shingle?
- ElenaSí, la veo desde aquí.Yes, I see it from here.
- MateoDebemos comprar una teja similar.We must buy a similar shingle.
- ElenaYo me encargaré de buscarla.I will take care of looking for it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry teja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries teja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
