LingoflyTransport in Spanish
24 words in Spanish on the topic “transport”: la estación — station, el metro — metro, el autobús — bus, el taxi — taxi. 24 words can be played from recordings.
24 words on the topic
- la estaciónstationBoth a metro stop and a train station: la estación de metro, la estación de tren
- el metrometroMasculine and never declined: el metro, voy en metro. The same word is the meter of measurement
- el autobúsbusIn the plural the accent disappears: los autobuses. The long-distance coach has a name of its own, el autocar
- el taxitaxiMasculine: el taxi. In Spain you take a cab at the rank, la parada de taxis, not by waving from the curb
- el semáforotraffic lightseh-MAH-foh-roh
- la bicicletabicycleLa bici in speech. To go by bike: ir en bici
- la parada del autobúsbus stopFrom parar, to stop. A metro stop is a different word: la estación
- el abono de transportetravel passIn Madrid this is simply el abono; in Barcelona the card is called la T-casual
- la rutarouteA travel route and a hiking trail alike. A city route's number is la línea
- el paso de peatonescrosswalkEl peatón is a pedestrian. The painted stripes are colloquially la cebra — the zebra
- el atascotraffic jamOnly about cars. A cork in a bottle is el corcho, a clog in the sink el tapón
- el aparcamientocar parkThe Spanish word; Latin America says el estacionamiento. The verb is aparcar
- la gasolineragas stationFrom la gasolina. To fill up is echar gasolina — literally 'pour some gasoline'
- el carné de conducirdriving licenceOne document, one word, singular. Also written carnet, pronounced the same
- la paradastop (any transport)The place where transport stands: la parada de autobús is the same parada spelled out. A pause is la pausa
- el pasajeropassengerSame root as pasar. As an adjective the word means fleeting: un dolor pasajero
- el asientoseatBoth the seat itself and the place on your ticket: el asiento de ventanilla. A chair in a room is la silla
- el asiderograb handleFrom asir, to grip: the loop or handle you hold on to. The long tube along the bus is la barra
- el revisorticket inspectorFrom revisar, to check. Latin America more often says el inspector
- el precio del billetefareSpaniards speak of the ticket price, not a fare as such. Latin America says el boleto or el pasaje
- abarrotadopackedCrammed, with people pressed together. Lleno is merely full, no squeezing
- el sitio librefree seatEl sitio is space, el asiento the seat itself. The short question to a neighbor: ¿está libre?
- la máquina de billetesticket machineA machine here is máquina; a snack vending machine is la máquina expendedora
- la demoradelayThe ordinary word in Latin America; boards in Spain print el retraso
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
la estación — station. Both a metro stop and a train station: la estación de metro, la estación de tren.
el metro — metro. Masculine and never declined: el metro, voy en metro. The same word is the meter of measurement.
el autobús — bus. In the plural the accent disappears: los autobuses. The long-distance coach has a name of its own, el autocar.
el taxi — taxi. Masculine: el taxi. In Spain you take a cab at the rank, la parada de taxis, not by waving from the curb.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is la estación — station.
- What is this word?
It is el abono de transporte — travel pass.
- What is this word?
It is la parada — stop (any transport).
- What is this word?
It is el sitio libre — free seat.
- What is this word?
It is el semáforo — traffic light.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “station” in Spanish?
Both a metro stop and a train station: la estación de metro, la estación de tren
- How do you say “travel pass” in Spanish?
In Madrid this is simply el abono; in Barcelona the card is called la T-casual
- How do you say “stop (any transport)” in Spanish?
The place where transport stands: la parada de autobús is the same parada spelled out. A pause is la pausa
- How do you say “free seat” in Spanish?
El sitio is space, el asiento the seat itself. The short question to a neighbor: ¿está libre?
- How do you say “traffic light” in Spanish?
Stress on the second syllable, hence the accent. En el semáforo — at the traffic light
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “station” in Spanish?
«la estación». Both a metro stop and a train station: la estación de metro, la estación de tren. It is one of 24 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 24 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 24 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.