tarjeta
/tar-HEH-tah/
card
A generic plastic card, illustrating the common meaning of 'tarjeta'.
tarjeta(noun)
card
?General term for a small piece of plastic or thick paper
ID card
?tarjeta de identificación
,credit card
?tarjeta de crédito
,greeting card
?tarjeta de felicitación
📝 In Action
¿Aceptan pagos con tarjeta de débito?
A1Do you accept debit card payments?
Necesitas mostrar tu tarjeta de embarque para subir al avión.
A2You need to show your boarding pass (card) to get on the plane.
Olvidé mi tarjeta de identificación en casa.
A1I forgot my ID card at home.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Feminine
Since 'tarjeta' ends in '-a' and refers to a thing, use feminine articles and adjectives: 'la tarjeta nueva' (the new card).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'papel' for 'card'
Mistake: "Me dio un papel de cumpleaños."
Correction: Me dio una tarjeta de cumpleaños. ('Papel' means general paper, 'tarjeta' means a specific formatted card.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Banking Context
When talking about plastic money, 'tarjeta' is almost always the correct term, paired with 'crédito' or 'débito'.
A circuit board or 'tarjeta' used in electronics.
📝 In Action
Mi computadora necesita una nueva tarjeta gráfica.
B1My computer needs a new graphics card.
La tarjeta madre es el componente principal del sistema.
B2The motherboard (mother card) is the main component of the system.
⭐ Usage Tips
Specific Context
This meaning is almost always used when followed by an adjective or another noun specifying its function (e.g., 'gráfica', 'madre', 'red').
A red penalty card, known as a 'tarjeta' in sports.
📝 In Action
El árbitro le mostró la tarjeta roja después de la falta.
B2The referee showed him the red card after the foul.
Ya tiene una tarjeta amarilla, debe jugar con cuidado.
B2He already has a yellow card; he must play carefully.
⭐ Usage Tips
Verb Pairing
Use verbs like 'mostrar' (to show) or 'sacar' (to take out/issue) when referring to the referee giving a penalty card.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: tarjeta
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'tarjeta' in the context of technology?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I say 'business card'?
You would say 'tarjeta de visita' (common in Spain) or 'tarjeta de presentación' (common in Latin America). Both literally mean 'card of visit/presentation'.
Why is 'tarjeta' feminine?
Like most nouns in Spanish that end in the letter -a, 'tarjeta' is feminine, so it always requires feminine articles like 'la' or 'una' and feminine adjectives.