vatios
/batjos/from spelling rules
vatios is the Spanish translation for the English phrase watts.
The term is used to denote the unit of electrical power.
Which one should you use?
The singular form of the unit is vatio.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, vatios is widely used in both formal and informal contexts to represent watts.
How do you pronounce it?
/batjos/
Did you know?
- In some technical circles in Latin America, using the formal term vatios can actually make you sound less like a local professional. Using the English 'watts' is often considered the standard way to speak amongst engineers and technicians.
- While vatio is the standard term, the term potencia used to describe wattage is the same word used to describe a 'great power' or superpower in geopolitics.
- The Spanish word vatio is a phonetic adaptation of 'watt' because the sound /w/ does not exist as a distinct consonant in traditional Spanish phonology.
Examples in context
- La potencia de este dispositivo es de 100 vatios.The power of this device is 100 watts.
- El consumo de energía del motor es de 200 vatios eléctricos.The energy consumption of the motor is 200 electrical watts.
- Este bombillo tiene un vatiaje bajo.This light bulb has a low wattage.
- El aire acondicionado tiene una potencia de 5000 kilovatios.The air conditioning has a power of 5000 kilowatts.
- El equipo tiene una potencia de 100 watts.The equipment has a power of 100 watts.
- Esta bombilla consume cien vatios.This light bulb consumes one hundred watts.
- Necesito saber cuántos vatios usa el horno.I need to know how many watts the oven uses.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are looking at an appliance label in the kitchen.
- Daniel¿Cuántos vatios tiene este microondas, Sofía?How many watts does this microwave have, Sofía?
- SofíaDice que son ochocientos vatios.It says they are eight hundred watts.
- DanielEs un modelo bastante potente.It is a quite powerful model.
- SofíaSí, consume mucha energía.Yes, it consumes a lot of energy.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
