tracción
/tɾaɡˈθjon/
The English word "traction" is translated into Spanish as tracción.
tracción refers to the adhesive friction of a wheel etc on a surface.
Meaning: adhesive friction of a wheel etc on a surface (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/tɾaɡˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In the context of a political or social movement, the Spanish word tracción is rarely used to mean 'momentum', whereas English uses it frequently in that way.
- While tracción describes the physical force, the term tracción a sangre is used metaphorically to describe work done by human or animal power.
- In Spanish, tracción describes not just grip but also the system that drives a vehicle, such as tracción delantera for 'front-wheel drive'.
Examples in context
- Necesito mejorar la tracción de este vehículo.I need to improve the traction of this vehicle.
- Los zapatos proporcionan un excelente agarre en superficies resbaladizas.The shoes provide excellent traction on slippery surfaces.
- Las ruedas pierden la tracción en el hielo.The wheels lose traction on the ice.
- Necesitamos más tracción para subir esta montaña.We need more traction to climb this mountain.
- Ese neumático no tiene buena tracción en mojado.That tire does not have good traction in the wet.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are driving through a muddy field.
- MateoEl coche no tiene tracción en este barro.The car has no traction in this mud.
- Sofía¿Debería bajar la velocidad, Mateo?Should I slow down, Mateo?
- MateoNo, intenta avanzar muy despacio.No, try to move forward very slowly.
- SofíaEstá bien, lo intentaré.Okay, I will try.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tracción, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
