encender el aire acondicionado
/enθendeɾ el aiɾe akondiθjonado/from spelling rules
To turn on the ac in Spanish is encender el aire acondicionado.
This phrase is used when you want to start the air conditioning system to cool a room.
Which one should you use?
While encender el aire acondicionado is the standard way to express turning the device on, the verb prender is a very common synonym used in many Latin American countries to mean 'to turn on' an appliance.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase prender el aire acondicionado is a colloquial form used frequently across many Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the continuous action of 'turning on' the AC, use the gerund form encendiendo el aire acondicionado.
How do you pronounce it?
/enθendeɾ el aiɾe akondiθjonado/
Did you know?
- Because encender and prender both relate to lighting a fire, the Spanish language uses the vocabulary of combustion to describe flipping a modern electric switch.
- The word aire is remarkably ancient, tracing its lineage back to the Ancient Greek word ᾱ̓ήρ. This means that when you ask to turn on the AC, you are using a word that has described the very substance of breath for millennia.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, rather than saying they are 'turning on' the AC, people might say they are poniendo el aire. This uses the verb 'poner', which means 'to put', to describe starting the machine.
Examples in context
- Por favor, encienda el aire acondicionado.Please, turn on the air conditioning.
- Me podría ayudar a poner en marcha el aire acondicionado?Could you help me start the air conditioning?
- Hazme el favor de encender el aire acondicionado, ¿vale?Do me the favor of turning on the air conditioning, okay?
- ¿Puedes activar el aire acondicionado, por favor?Can you turn on the air conditioning, please?
- Necesito que pongas en marcha el aire acondicionado, porfi.I need you to start the air conditioning, pretty please.
- Es necesario encender el aire acondicionado ahora.It is necessary to turn on the air conditioning now.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are in a hot living room.
- MateoMaría, hace demasiado calor aquí.María, it is too hot in here.
- MaríaTienes razón, Mateo. Voy a encender el aire acondicionado.You are right, Mateo. I am going to turn on the ac.
- MateoGracias, me siento mucho mejor ahora.Thanks, I feel much better now.
- MaríaYo también. Ya está refrescando la sala.Me too. It is already cooling the room.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries acondicionado, aire, el, encender, CC BY-SA 4.0.
