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How to Say "spade" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “spade” is “pala” — use 'pala' when referring to the tool used for digging in the garden or on a construction site..

English → Spanish

pala

/PAH-lah//ˈpala/

nounA1general
Use 'pala' when referring to the tool used for digging in the garden or on a construction site.
A metal shovel with a wooden handle stuck into a small pile of brown soil.

Examples

Usé la pala para cavar un hoyo en el jardín.

I used the shovel to dig a hole in the garden.

Necesitamos una pala para quitar la nieve de la entrada.

We need a shovel to clear the snow from the driveway.

Gender and Articles

Since this word ends in 'a' and is feminine, always use 'la' or 'una'. For more than one, use 'las' or 'unas'.

Pala vs. Paleta

Mistake: “Using 'pala' for a small hand-held gardening trowel.”

Correction: Use 'paleta' for small hand tools and 'pala' for the large tool you use with two hands.

espada

/es-PAH-dah//esˈpaða/

nounB1general
Use 'espada' specifically when talking about the suit of spades in a deck of playing cards.
A stylized red suit symbol shaped like an upright sword blade, representing the spade suit in Spanish playing cards.

Examples

Necesito el As de espadas para ganar la partida.

I need the Ace of spades to win the game.

En la baraja española, las espadas tienen la forma de una hoja.

In the Spanish deck, the spades are shaped like a blade.

Playing Cards

When referring to a suit, you typically use the plural: 'espadas'.

Confusing Card Suit with Tool

The most frequent error learners make is using 'espada' when they mean the gardening tool. Remember, 'espada' is exclusively for the card suit, while 'pala' is the word for the digging implement.

Related Translations

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