Vehicles

1. el coche

   Car

   Usage

   "El coche" in Spain. Latin America says "el carro" (Mexico, Colombia, Peru) or "el auto" (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) instead

2. el autobús

   City bus

   Usage

   Standard in Spain, but the word changes across Latin America: "el camión" in Mexico, "la guagua" in the Caribbean and Canaries, "el colectivo" in Argentina, "la micro" in Chile, "el bus" in Colombia

3. el autocar

   Long-distance coach

   Usage

   The Spanish intercity coach — ALSA is the main operator and often cheaper than the train. The terminal is "la estación de autobuses"

4. el tren

   Train

   Usage

   Spain's operator is Renfe. The station is "la estación" and the platform "el andén"

5. el AVE

   AVE (Spanish high-speed train)

   Usage

   The high-speed line that links Madrid and Barcelona in two and a half hours. The initials stand for Alta Velocidad Española and also spell the word for "bird". Book early for the cheap fares, and expect a bag scan before boarding

6. el cercanías

   Cercanías (commuter rail)

   Usage

   The commuter network in Madrid and Barcelona, used for the airport and nearby towns such as Alcalá de Henares or Sitges. It needs its own ticket, separate from the metro. In Catalonia it is branded "Rodalies"

7. el metro

   Metro

   Usage

   Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Mexico City all have one. A Madrid travel pass is "el abono"; Barcelona's ten-trip ticket is "la T-Casual"

8. el tranvía

   Tram

   Usage

   Running in Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville and Zaragoza. Seville's short central line is handy for sightseeing

9. el taxi

   Taxi

   Usage

   In Spain a green roof light or a "libre" sign means it is free. Airport runs in many cities use a flat rate — "tarifa fija"

10. el VTC

    Ride-hailing car

    Usage

    The umbrella term for Uber, Cabify and Bolt — "vehículo de turismo con conductor". In tightly regulated cities such as Barcelona supply is thin and a taxi is often faster

11. la moto

    Motorbike

    Usage

    Short for "la motocicleta" and the everyday form. Scooter-sharing schemes are widespread in Barcelona and Madrid

12. el patinete eléctrico

    E-scooter

    Usage

    Argentina says "el monopatín eléctrico". In Spain riding on the pavement is banned and Barcelona requires a helmet; Madrid has tightened rental rules sharply

13. la bicicleta

    Bicycle

    Usage

    Shortened to "la bici" in speech. Madrid's public scheme is BiciMAD; Barcelona's Bicing needs local registration, so visitors use private hire instead

14. el avión

    Plane

    Usage

    For domestic and island routes — the Canaries and the Balearics are effectively fly-only

15. el barco

    Boat / Ship

    Usage

    The general word. A small rowing boat is "la barca"; a motor launch is "la lancha"

16. el ferri

    Ferry

    Usage

    For the Balearics, the Canaries and the crossing to Morocco. The formal word is "el transbordador", but everyone says "el ferri"

17. el funicular

    Funicular

    Usage

    Montjuïc and Tibidabo in Barcelona, Artxanda in Bilbao. It runs on rails — unlike "el teleférico", which hangs from a cable

18. el teleférico

    Cable car

    Usage

    The cable-hung kind. Barcelona's harbour Transbordador Aeri is a classic, and in La Paz, Bolivia, "Mi Teleférico" is genuine public transport

19. la furgoneta

    Van

    Usage

    The boxy transfer or delivery vehicle. Latin America often says "la camioneta", but in Spain that word means a pickup

20. el camión

    Truck (Spain) / Bus (Mexico)

    Usage

    A lorry in Spain — but in Mexico the same word means the city bus, so "quiero tomar el camión" there is about public transport. One of the most confusing regional splits in Spanish

21. el colectivo

    Colectivo (shared bus)

    Usage

    In Argentina this simply is the city bus. In Peru and Mexico it is a shared minivan running a fixed route. It means nothing in Spain

22. la guagua

    Guagua (bus)

    Usage

    The word for a city bus in the Canaries, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico — not on the Spanish mainland. In Chile and the Andes the same word means "baby", so never use it there for transport

23. el bondi

    Bondi (slang for bus)

    Usage

    Argentine — Buenos Aires above all — casual slang for the bus. Fine between friends; say "el colectivo" to a driver or at an information desk. Unknown elsewhere

24. la ambulancia

    Ambulance

    Usage

    Say "llamen a una ambulancia". The emergency number is 112 across Spain and the EU, and 911 in Mexico and Argentina

25. el coche de alquiler

    Rental car

    Usage

    "Quisiera alquilar un coche". Spanish rentals default to manual gearboxes — ask for "automático" explicitly. Mexico uses the verb "rentar" instead of "alquilar"

26. el coche de caballos

    Horse carriage

    Usage

    The sightseeing carriage in Seville and Córdoba, also called "la calesa" in Andalusia. It draws animal-welfare criticism, so opinions are divided

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