tope
everyday, Mexico
In Mexico a speed bump is a tope. The more technical term is reductor de velocidad.
Meaning: raised bump on a road (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mexican | Note |
|---|---|
| tope | everyday, Mexico |
| reductor de velocidad | formal |
Drivers say cuidado con el tope when one is ahead. Streets in towns and near schools have many topes, and a very large one may be called un tope muy alto.
Which one should you use?
The word tope also means a limit or maximum, as in tope de gasto. The road meaning is the common one in daily speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Other Spanish-speaking countries use different names, so tope is a good sign of Mexican speech.
Did you know?
- The word tope is so common on Mexican roads that signs simply read topes ahead of them.
Examples in context
- Hay un tope antes de la escuela.There is a speed bump before the school.
- Frena, que viene un tope.Slow down, a speed bump is coming.
- Pusieron topes en la calle.They put speed bumps on the street.
Example conversation
Víctor is driving and his wife Adriana warns him on a street in Cuernavaca.
- AdrianaVíctor, cuidado, hay un tope.Víctor, careful, there is a speed bump.
- VíctorYa lo vi, voy despacio.I saw it, I am going slowly.
- AdrianaQué bueno, ya viene otro.Good, there is another one coming.
