A view looking through a series of long, rounded underground passages carved through stone.

túneles

TOO-neh-lehs

nounmA2

tunnels?underground or underwater passages

Also:passageways?enclosed paths

📝 In Action

El tren pasa por muchos túneles en las montañas.

The train passes through many tunnels in the mountains.

Están construyendo nuevos túneles para el metro.

They are building new tunnels for the subway.

Los túneles secretos conectaban los castillos.

The secret tunnels connected the castles.

Word Connections

Synonyms

socavones (caverns or mine shafts)
pasadizos (passageways)

Antonyms

puentes (bridges)

Common Collocations

túneles de lavado – car washes (drive-through)
la luz al final de los túneles – the light at the end of the tunnels

💡 Grammar Points

Making words plural

Since the singular form 'túnel' ends in a consonant (l), you must add '-es' to make it plural instead of just '-s'.

Keeping the accent

Even when plural, 'túneles' keeps its accent mark on the 'u' to make sure the stress stays on the first part of the word.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Spelling without the accent

Mistake: "tuneles"

Correction: túneles (Always include the accent mark to show which syllable is the strongest).

⭐ Usage Tips

Speaking about the metro

When using 'túneles' to talk about the subway, you can also use 'vías' (tracks) depending on if you mean the hole in the ground or the path the train takes.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: túneles

Question 1 of 2

What is the singular form of 'túneles'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

túnel(tunnel (singular)) - noun

tunelar(to tunnel / to bore) - verb

tuneladora(tunnel boring machine) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'túneles' have an accent mark?

In Spanish, words that are stressed on the third-to-last syllable (called 'esdrújulas') ALWAYS have an accent mark. Tú-ne-les fits this rule.

Can 'túneles' be used figuratively?

Yes! Just like in English, you can talk about 'túneles' when describing a long, dark period in life or a narrow perspective.