billetes
“billetes” means “banknotes” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
banknotes, bills
Also: cash
📝 In Action
Pagué la cuenta con billetes de cincuenta.
A1I paid the bill with fifty-unit banknotes.
No tengo monedas, solo billetes grandes.
A2I don't have coins, only large bills.
¿Cuántos billetes de diez hay aquí?
A1How many ten-unit bills are there here?
tickets, passes
📝 In Action
Perdí mis billetes de tren y ahora no puedo viajar.
A2I lost my train tickets and now I can't travel.
Necesitamos comprar los billetes para el partido de fútbol.
A2We need to buy the tickets for the soccer match.
Los billetes de avión son muy caros en verano.
B1The plane tickets are very expensive in summer.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: billetes
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'billetes' to mean 'tickets'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
The word comes from the French 'billet', which originally meant a small piece of paper, a note, or a document. This meaning evolved in Spanish to refer to both paper money and travel documents.
First recorded: 15th century (as billete)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'billetes' used everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world?
Yes, it is understood everywhere. However, in many parts of Latin America, 'boletos' is often preferred for tickets, while 'billetes' is primarily used for paper money.
How do I say 'a lot of money' using this word?
You can say 'muchos billetes' (many banknotes), but a more common way to express a large sum of money generally is 'mucho dinero' or, informally, 'mucha pasta'.