carretera resbaladiza
/kareteɾa ɾesbaladiθa/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'slippery road' can be translated into Spanish as carretera resbaladiza.
This phrase describes a road surface that is smooth or wet, making it easy for vehicles to slide.
What does it mean word for word?
The word carretera means road and resbaladiza means slippery.
Which one should you use?
You can use calzada resbaladiza to refer specifically to the paved surface or carriageway of the road. In technical or official traffic contexts, calzada is often used instead of carretera to refer specifically to the paved surface of the road.
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 carreteras resbaladizas.
How do you pronounce it?
/kareteɾa ɾesbaladiθa/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the word resbaladizo is used colloquially to describe a person who is slippery or untrustworthy in their dealings.
- The word carretera is built from the word carreta, which refers to a cart or carriage. This implies that the very concept of a road is linguistically tied to the vehicles that travel upon them.
- While carretera is the standard term, in many Latin American countries you might hear drivers warn about a pista resbaladiza instead. In these regions, pista often refers to the track or surface of the road.
Examples in context
- Por favor, tenga precaución, la carretera es resbaladiza debido a la lluvia.Please be careful, the road is slippery due to the rain.
- Tenga cuidado, la carretera es resbaladiza por la lluvia.Be careful, the road is slippery due to the rain.
- Ten cuidado con la carretera resbaladiza.Be careful with the slippery road.
- Evitaremos esa carretera resbaladiza esta noche.We will avoid that slippery road tonight.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are driving in the rain.
- SofíaMira, hay una carretera resbaladiza adelante.Look, there is a slippery road ahead.
- JavierSí, voy a reducir la velocidad.Yes, I am going to reduce the speed.
- SofíaEs mejor evitar la carretera resbaladiza hoy.It is better to avoid the slippery road today.
- JavierTienes razón, Sofía. Vamos con cuidado.You are right, Sofía. Let's go carefully.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carretera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
