tela
/TAY-lah/
cloth
The most common meaning of 'tela' is cloth or fabric.
tela(noun)
cloth
?material used for clothing or upholstery
,fabric
?textile material
material
?general term for textile
📝 In Action
Esta chaqueta está hecha de una tela muy suave.
A2This jacket is made of a very soft fabric.
Necesito un metro de tela roja para el proyecto.
A1I need one meter of red cloth for the project.
El sofá está tapizado con una tela resistente.
B1The sofa is upholstered with a resistant material.
💡 Grammar Points
Gender Check
Remember that 'tela' is always feminine, so you must use 'la' or 'una' before it, and any describing words (adjectives) must also end in '-a' (e.g., 'la tela suave').
⭐ Usage Tips
Webs are 'Tela'
The Spanish word for a spiderweb is 'tela de araña,' literally meaning 'spider cloth.' This is a great way to remember the main meaning.
Informally, 'tela' can refer to money or cash.
📝 In Action
¿Tienes suficiente tela para invitar a todos?
B2Do you have enough dough/cash to treat everyone?
Ese coche cuesta mucha tela.
C1That car costs a lot of money.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Context is Key
Mistake: "Using 'tela' to mean money in a formal setting (e.g., a bank application)."
Correction: Only use 'tela' for money when speaking casually with friends. Use 'dinero' or 'fondos' for formal contexts.
⭐ Usage Tips
Figurative Extension
Think of 'tela' as valuable 'material'—it’s an easy jump from fabric to the material wealth we call money.
In some contexts, 'tela' means a complex problem or a mess.
📝 In Action
¡Vaya tela! No esperaba que la presentación fuera tan mala.
C1Wow, what a mess/disappointment! I didn't expect the presentation to be so bad.
Hay mucha tela que cortar en este tema.
C2There is a lot of ground/work to cover on this topic.
💡 Grammar Points
Idiomatic Use
This meaning almost always appears in fixed phrases like '¡Vaya tela!' or 'Mucha tela que cortar.' Do not try to use 'tela' by itself to mean 'problem'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Expressing Surprise
Use '¡Vaya tela!' to react strongly to news, either good or bad, similar to saying 'Oh man!' or 'Seriously?'
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: tela
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'tela' in its most common, literal sense?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'tela' sometimes mean money?
This is a figurative extension. Just as English uses 'material' or 'stuff' to refer to wealth, 'tela' (fabric/material) was adopted in Spanish slang, especially in Spain, as an informal way to refer to cash or funds ('dough').
Is 'tela de araña' the only way to say spiderweb?
Yes, 'tela de araña' is the standard phrase. It literally describes the web as the 'cloth' woven by the spider, reinforcing the word's primary meaning.