Inklingo

How to Say "cards" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “cards” is “tarjetas” — use 'tarjetas' for any small, flat piece of stiff paper or plastic, such as greeting cards, business cards, or credit cards..

English → Spanish

tarjetas

tar-HAY-tas/taɾˈxetas/

nounA1general
Use 'tarjetas' for any small, flat piece of stiff paper or plastic, such as greeting cards, business cards, or credit cards.
A small stack of colorful, generic rectangular cards, such as blank index cards or playing cards, sitting on a simple surface.

Examples

Necesito comprar unas tarjetas de felicitación para Navidad.

I need to buy some greeting cards for Christmas.

Las tarjetas de presentación están en la mesa.

The business cards are on the table.

Usamos tarjetas rojas y azules en el juego.

We used red and blue cards in the game.

Feminine Plural

Since 'tarjeta' ends in '-a', it is a feminine word. 'Tarjetas' is the plural form, so any descriptive words (adjectives) used with it must also be feminine and plural (e.g., 'tarjetas nuevas').

Confusing Gender

Mistake: “Los tarjetas”

Correction: Las tarjetas. Remember that 'tarjeta' is feminine, so it takes the feminine plural article 'las'.

cartas

/kar-tas//ˈkaɾtas/

nounA2general
Use 'cartas' exclusively when referring to playing cards used in games, or the deck of cards itself.
A fan of five standard playing cards, such as those used in poker or bridge.

Examples

El mago hizo desaparecer las cartas de la baraja.

The magician made the cards in the deck disappear.

Hoy vamos a jugar a las cartas en casa de Ana.

Today we are going to play cards at Ana's house.

Me leyeron las cartas y predijeron un buen futuro.

They read my cards and predicted a good future.

Using 'a las'

When talking about playing games, Spanish often uses the structure 'jugar a' (to play) followed by the definite article. So, you must say 'jugar a las cartas' (to play the cards).

Confusing 'cartas' and 'tarjetas'

Mistake: “Using 'tarjetas' for playing cards ('Jugar a las tarjetas').”

Correction: Use 'cartas' or 'naipes' for playing cards. 'Tarjetas' are usually credit cards or small greeting cards.

Playing Cards vs. General Cards

The most common mistake is using 'tarjetas' when you mean playing cards. Remember that 'cartas' is the specific term for cards used in games like poker or bridge. For all other types of cards, use 'tarjetas'.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.