Inklingo

How to Say "laundry" in Spanish

English → Spanish

ropa

/ROH-pah//'ro.pa/

nounA1general
Use 'ropa' when you are specifically talking about the clothes themselves that need to be washed or have been washed.
A colorful pile of various garments, including a folded shirt, a pair of pants, and a sweater, representing the concept of clothes.

Examples

Necesito lavar esta ropa sucia.

I need to wash this dirty laundry.

Necesito comprar ropa nueva.

I need to buy new clothes.

Puse toda la ropa sucia en la lavadora.

I put all the dirty laundry in the washing machine.

Esta tienda vende ropa de hombre y de mujer.

This store sells men's and women's clothing.

Always Singular for 'Clothes'

In Spanish, 'ropa' is a special type of noun that means a group of things. Even when you're talking about many shirts, pants, and socks, you almost always use the singular form 'la ropa'. Think of it like 'furniture' or 'information' in English; you wouldn't say 'furnitures'.

Using 'Ropas' for 'Clothes'

Mistake: “Tengo muchas ropas nuevas.”

Correction: Tengo mucha ropa nueva. The plural 'ropas' is very rare and only used to talk about different *types* of clothing collections (like 'ropa de invierno' and 'ropa de verano' are two different 'ropas'). For everyday use, 99% of the time, you should stick with singular 'ropa'.

lavandería

nounA2general
Use 'lavandería' to refer to the place where clothes are washed, such as a laundromat, or sometimes for the load of clothes being washed as a collective noun.

Examples

Voy a la lavandería a secar mi ropa.

I'm going to the laundry (laundromat) to dry my clothes.

Ropa vs. Lavandería

The most common mistake is using 'lavandería' when you simply mean the clothes themselves. Remember, 'ropa' refers to the garments, while 'lavandería' is the place or the collective load of washing.

Related Translations

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