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How to Say "inventory" in Spanish

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inventario

een-ben-TAH-ryohimbenˈtaɾjo

nounA2general
Use 'inventario' when you are referring to the act of creating a list of items or the list itself, often for organizational or accounting purposes.
A neat stack of boxes and crates on a wooden pallet in a clean warehouse.

Examples

Necesitamos hacer un inventario de todos los productos en el almacén.

We need to make an inventory of all the products in the warehouse.

El inventario de la casa incluye muebles antiguos y cuadros.

The house inventory includes antique furniture and paintings.

Gender and Articles

This word is masculine, so always use 'el' (the) or 'un' (a). For example: 'el inventario'.

Inventario vs. Stock

Mistake: “Using 'stock' as a Spanish word in formal writing.”

Correction: While people use the English word 'stock' in casual business, 'inventario' or 'existencias' is the correct Spanish term.

existencia

eh-sees-TEN-see-aheɡsisˈtenθja

nounB1general
Use 'existencia' when you want to talk about the actual quantity or availability of items that are in stock, like the amount of a product a store has.
Several neat stacks of identical, colorful red and blue toy boxes perfectly organized on simple wooden shelving in a clean storeroom, representing inventory.

Examples

El almacén tiene poca existencia de este modelo de teléfono.

The warehouse has low stock of this phone model.

Necesitamos contar la existencia semanal para el informe.

We need to count the weekly inventory for the report.

La tienda repuso las existencias agotadas ayer.

The store restocked the sold-out items (literally: exhausted stocks) yesterday.

Plural Form

When referring to multiple items or the general quantity of goods, 'existencia' is often used in the plural: 'las existencias'.

recuento

re-KWEN-tohreˈkwento

nounB1general
Use 'recuento' specifically when referring to the process of counting or recounting items, most commonly used for votes but also applicable to stock checks.
A person pointing at a stack of colorful voting ballots one by one to count them again.

Examples

El partido político solicitó un recuento de los votos.

The political party requested a recount of the votes.

Haremos un recuento de la mercancía el lunes por la mañana.

We will do an inventory count of the merchandise on Monday morning.

Tras el recuento, descubrimos que faltaban dos paquetes.

After the count, we discovered that two packages were missing.

Always Masculine

Even though it ends in 'o', remember it always takes masculine words around it, like 'el recuento' or 'un recuento'.

Action vs. Result

This word describes both the act of counting and the final number you get at the end.

Confusing with 'Cuenta'

Mistake: “Pedir la recuento en un restaurante.”

Correction: Pedir la cuenta. Use 'cuenta' for a bill or a general account; use 'recuento' specifically for the act of counting items or votes again.

Inventario vs. Existencia

Learners often confuse 'inventario' and 'existencia'. Remember that 'inventario' refers to the list or the process of listing items, while 'existencia' refers to the actual quantity of items available in stock. Think of 'inventario' as the action or the document, and 'existencia' as the physical items themselves.

Related Translations

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