furgoneta
/fuɾɡoneta/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for van car is furgoneta.
Which one should you use?
While furgoneta typically refers to a standard light commercial van, furgón is used for much larger, heavy-duty transport vehicles or large box trucks.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many parts of Latin America, the word camioneta is often used to refer to a van or a large SUV, whereas in Spain furgoneta is the standard term for a commercial van. In Mexico, people may refer to a van as van using the English term.
How do you pronounce it?
/fuɾɡoneta/
Did you know?
- The ending -eta in furgoneta is a diminutive suffix. It literally describes the vehicle as a 'little' furgón, even if the van is actually quite large.
- While furgoneta refers to the vehicle, the word furgón can specifically refer to the cargo hold or the detachable box of a truck.
- If you call a large freight truck a furgoneta in Spain, you might be laughed at because the term is reserved for light, agile vans.
Examples in context
- Alquilé una furgoneta para mi mudanzaI rented a van for my move
- La camioneta de la empresa transporta mercancíasThe company's van transports goods
- Voy a viajar en furgo este veranoI'm going to travel in a van this summer
- La furgoneta es muy grande.The van is very large.
- Necesito alquilar una furgoneta blanca.I need to rent a white van.
- Guardamos las cajas en la furgoneta.We put the boxes in the van.
Example conversation
María and Mateo are planning a moving day.
- María¿Tienes la llave de la furgoneta?Do you have the key to the van?
- MateoSí, la tengo en mi bolsillo.Yes, I have it in my pocket.
- MaríaPerfecto, vamos a cargar la furgoneta ahora.Perfect, let's load the van now.
- MateoMuy bien, yo llevo la caja pesada.Very well, I will carry the heavy box.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry furgoneta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries furgoneta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
