tonelada
“tonelada” means “ton” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
ton
Also: metric ton
📝 In Action
El elefante africano puede pesar hasta seis toneladas.
A2The African elephant can weigh up to six tons.
Este camión tiene prohibido llevar más de una tonelada de carga.
B1This truck is prohibited from carrying more than one ton of cargo.
La fábrica produce diez toneladas de papel al día.
B2The factory produces ten tons of paper per day.
ton
Also: loads, heaps
📝 In Action
Tengo una tonelada de cosas que hacer este fin de semana.
B1I have a ton of things to do this weekend.
Había toneladas de comida en la fiesta de ayer.
B1There were tons of food at the party yesterday.
Ese libro me dio toneladas de ideas para mi proyecto.
B2That book gave me tons of ideas for my project.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: tonelada
Question 1 of 3
If you have 'una tonelada de trabajo', how do you feel?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Spanish word 'tonel' (barrel). In the past, the size and weight capacity of ships were measured by how many large wine barrels they could carry.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'tonelada' the same as the US ton?
Not exactly. The Spanish 'tonelada' is the metric ton (1,000 kg / about 2,204 lbs), while the US 'short ton' is slightly lighter (about 907 kg / 2,000 lbs).
Can I use 'tonelada' for people?
Usually only as an exaggeration (e.g., 'Había toneladas de gente' - There were tons of people), but it's very informal.
Is there a short version of the word?
In writing, you will often see it abbreviated as 't' (lowercase), similar to how we use 't' or 'tn' in English.