Driving and filling up in Spanish, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
The Spanish you need for driving is specific. The attendant asks which grade you want, and the road signs have words you never see in a phrasebook. Below: the petrol station, the road, a police stop, parking and a breakdown, with the word people use in each of Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. The rental counter, the insurance words and the damage check have their own page: Renting a car in Spanish.
The car itself
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car | el carro or el coche | el coche | el carro | el auto |
| To drive | manejar | conducir | manejar | manejar |
| To rent | rentar | alquilar | alquilar | alquilar |
| Petrol | la gasolina | la gasolina | la gasolina | la nafta |
| Fuel tank | el tanque | el depósito | el tanque | el tanque |
| Boot | la cajuela | el maletero | el baúl | el baúl |
| Tyre | la llanta | la rueda or el neumático | la llanta | la goma or la cubierta |
| Steering wheel | el volante | el volante | el timón or el volante | el volante |
In Argentina the word is nafta. Gasolina is understood there and nobody uses it. In Spain the fuel tank is el depósito and the money deposit at the rental counter is la fianza, so keep the two apart.
A few words from the rental counter
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I have a booking | Tengo una reserva a nombre de Clark. | |
| Here’s my licence and passport | Aquí está mi licencia y mi pasaporte. | Spain says el carné de conducir |
| Is it automatic or manual? | ¿Es automático o manual? | Mexico says estándar for manual |
| I need an automatic | Necesito automático. | Book it ahead, because most rental cars in Spain and Argentina are manual |
| How much is the deposit? | ¿De cuánto es el depósito? / la fianza (Spain) | |
| Do I bring it back full? | ¿Lo devuelvo con el tanque lleno? | Spain: con el depósito lleno |
The excess, the cover, the damage check and the return are on the renting a car page.
What you will hear: ¿Me deja una tarjeta de crédito para el depósito? El seguro básico va incluido. Se lo entrego con el tanque lleno. Devuélvalo antes de las once. Aquí tiene la tarjeta de circulación, the vehicle papers, called la cédula verde in Argentina, el permiso de circulación in Spain and la tarjeta de propiedad in Colombia.
Mandatory insurance travels with the car in all four countries. Colombia’s is the SOAT, and a rental will have it. Keep the papers in the glovebox, la guantera.
The petrol station
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol station | la gasolinera | la gasolinera | la bomba or la estación de servicio | la estación de servicio |
| Regular grade | Magna | gasolina 95 or sin plomo 95 | corriente | súper |
| Premium grade | Premium | gasolina 98 | extra | premium, or Infinia at YPF stations |
| Diesel | diésel | diésel or gasóleo | ACPM or diésel | gasoil |
| Who fills it | an attendant | you do, then pay inside | an attendant | an attendant, el playero |
Magna is the green pump in Mexico and Premium the red one. In Colombia corriente is the ordinary grade and extra the higher one, and diesel is often signed ACPM. In Argentina, súper and premium sit side by side and Infinia is the premium fuel at YPF stations.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fill it up, please | Lleno, por favor. | Works in all four |
| Fill it with regular | Lleno de Magna, por favor. | Swap in the local grade |
| Five hundred pesos’ worth | Quinientos de Magna, por favor. | Buying by amount is normal in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina |
| Twenty euros on pump four | Veinte euros en el surtidor cuatro. | Spain, said at the till |
| Diesel | Es diésel. | Say it before the hose moves |
| Can you check the tyres? | ¿Me revisa las llantas? | |
| The oil | el aceite | |
| Water for the windscreen | agua para el parabrisas | |
| Card or cash? | ¿Aceptan tarjeta? | Some rural stations take cash only |
| Can I have a receipt? | ¿Me da el recibo? | |
| Where’s the toilet? | ¿Dónde está el baño? |
In Spain you serve yourself, then go inside and say the pump number. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina an attendant fills it, and in Mexico a small tip is normal. In Mexico, watch the pump start from zero. ¿Me pone el marcador en cero? is a normal thing to ask and nobody takes offence.
On the road
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | la autopista | la autopista (toll) or la autovía (free) | la autopista | la autopista |
| Main road | la carretera federal | la carretera | la vía or la carretera | la ruta |
| Toll | la caseta or el peaje | el peaje | el peaje | el peaje |
| Roundabout | la glorieta | la rotonda | la glorieta | la rotonda |
| Stop sign | ALTO | STOP | PARE | PARE |
| Speed bump | el tope | el badén | el policía acostado or el resalto | el lomo de burro |
| Pavement | la banqueta | la acera | el andén | la vereda |
Mexico’s toll roads are las de cuota and the free parallel road is la libre. The free one is slower, and in the mountains a great deal slower. Spanish tolls are on the autopista, and the autovía is free.
Signs you will read: ceda el paso, give way. No rebasar in Mexico and no adelantar in Spain and South America, no overtaking. Desvío, diversion. La salida, the exit. Obras or trabajos en la vía, roadworks. Precaución, caution. Reduzca la velocidad, slow down.
The traffic light is el semáforo in all four countries, and se puso en rojo is what it did.
A police stop
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good afternoon, officer | Buenas tardes, oficial. | Spain: agente |
| Here are my papers | Aquí están los papeles del carro. | |
| It’s a rental | Es un carro rentado. / alquilado | |
| My licence | mi licencia de conducir | el carné in Spain, el registro in Argentina |
| What did I do wrong? | ¿Qué hice mal? | |
| What’s the offence? | ¿Cuál es la infracción? | |
| Can you give me the ticket in writing? | ¿Me puede dar la multa por escrito? | Colombia calls the ticket el comparendo |
| I don’t understand, I’m a tourist | No entiendo bien, soy turista. | True and useful |
| Where do I pay it? | ¿Dónde la pago? | |
| Can I call the rental company? | ¿Puedo llamar a la empresa de renta? |
Stay in the car unless you are asked to get out, keep your hands visible, and hand over the documents when they are asked for. Answer in short sentences. Do not offer money, and do not agree to settle anything on the spot. La mordida is the Mexican word for the bribe, and asking for the written ticket is the way to end that conversation. Prefiero pagar la multa en el banco is a polite refusal. Speed cameras exist in all four countries and a rental company will pass the fine on to your card.
Parking
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car park | el estacionamiento | el aparcamiento or el parking | el parqueadero | el estacionamiento |
| To park | estacionar | aparcar | parquear | estacionar |
| Meter | el parquímetro | el parquímetro, in la zona azul | el parquímetro | el parquímetro |
| No parking | no estacionar | prohibido aparcar | no parquear | prohibido estacionar |
In Spanish cities, paid street parking is marked zona azul, with zona verde reserved for residents in Madrid and Barcelona. In Colombian cities people park mostly in private parqueaderos charged by the hour or fraction, por hora o fracción. Mexican shopping centres and restaurants have valet parking, and the ticket you get back is el boleto.
Useful lines: ¿Se puede estacionar aquí?, can I park here. ¿Cuánto cuesta la hora? ¿Hasta qué hora? ¿Me lo cuida?, will you keep an eye on it, said to the person who watches parked cars on the street in Mexico and Colombia. Leave them coins.
A breakdown
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I have a puncture | se me ponchó una llanta | se me pinchó una rueda | se me pinchó una llanta | se me pinchó una goma |
| Tyre shop | la vulcanizadora | el taller de neumáticos | el montallantas | la gomería |
| Tow truck | la grúa | la grúa | la grúa | la grúa |
| Garage | el taller | el taller | el taller | el taller |
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The car won’t start | El carro no arranca. | |
| The battery is dead | Se quedó sin batería. | |
| Can you give me a jump? | ¿Me puede dar corriente? | Argentina: ¿me hacés un puente? |
| I’ve run out of petrol | Me quedé sin gasolina. | Argentina: sin nafta |
| The engine is overheating | Se está calentando el motor. | |
| There’s a warning light on | Se prendió una luz en el tablero. | |
| I need a tow truck | Necesito una grúa. | |
| I’m on the road to Puebla, near kilometre 40 | Estoy en la carretera a Puebla, como en el kilómetro 40. | Say a landmark as well |
| How long will it take? | ¿Cuánto se tardan? | |
| How much will it cost? | ¿Cuánto me va a costar? | Ask before the work starts |
| I had an accident | Tuve un accidente. | |
| Nobody is hurt | No hay heridos. |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Tengo una reserva a nombre de Clark. ¿Es automático? I have a booking under Clark. Is it automatic?
- ¿De cuánto es el deducible si tengo un choque? What’s the excess if I have a crash? (Mexico, Colombia)
- ¿De cuánto es la franquicia? What’s the excess? (Spain, Argentina)
- Lleno de Magna, por favor. ¿Me pone el marcador en cero? Fill it with regular, please. Can you zero the pump? (Mexico)
- Lleno de súper, por favor. Fill it with regular, please. (Argentina)
- Veinte euros en el surtidor cuatro. Twenty euros on pump four. (Spain)
- ¿Esta carretera tiene peaje? Is there a toll on this road?
- Buenas tardes, oficial. Aquí están los papeles. ¿Cuál es la infracción? Good afternoon, officer. Here are the papers. What’s the offence?
- ¿Se puede estacionar aquí? ¿Cuánto cuesta la hora? Can I park here? How much an hour?
- Se me pinchó una goma. ¿Hay una gomería cerca? I’ve got a puncture. Is there a tyre place nearby? (Argentina)
Questions people ask
Carro, coche or auto? Carro in Mexico and Colombia, coche in Spain and also in Mexico, auto in Argentina. All three are understood everywhere and none of them sounds wrong.
Why does nobody understand “gasolina” in Argentina? They do, and they say nafta. Diesel there is gasoil, and diesel in Colombia is often signed ACPM.
Do I pump the petrol myself? In Spain, yes, then you pay at the till and quote your pump number. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina an attendant does it, and you tell him the grade and the amount.
What is the “franquicia” on the rental contract? The excess. It is the amount you pay yourself if the car is damaged, and buying it down is what the agent is selling when he offers cobertura total. In Mexico and Colombia the same thing is el deducible.
Is it safe to drive at night? On Mexican highways and Colombian mountain roads, local advice is to travel in daylight. Unlit roads, livestock and poor surfaces are the usual reasons given. Ask at the hotel before you set off: ¿Es seguro manejar de noche a…?
What do I do if a policeman asks for money? Do not pay. Ask for the written ticket, la multa por escrito or el comparendo in Colombia, and say you will pay it at the bank. Stay calm and polite while you do it.
Are tolls cash or card? Mexican casetas take cash and a tag, and cash is the safe assumption. Spanish tolls take cards. Argentine and Colombian tolls take cash and increasingly cards, so carry small notes.
What is “el tope”? The Mexican speed bump, often unmarked and high enough to damage a low car. In Colombia it is el policía acostado, in Argentina el lomo de burro, in Spain el badén.
Practise these words
carro, manejar, gasolina, tanque, llanta, seguro, carretera, peaje, semáforo, estacionar, multa, taller, grúa. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.