Inklingo

How to Say "table" in Spanish

English → Spanish

mesa

/MEH-sah//ˈme.sa/

NounA1General
Use 'mesa' when referring to the piece of furniture you eat at, work on, or place objects upon.
A simple wooden dining table standing alone, ready for use.

Examples

Pon los platos en la mesa.

Put the plates on the table.

La comida está en la mesa.

The food is on the table.

Necesitamos una mesa para cuatro personas, por favor.

We need a table for four people, please.

Dejé mis llaves sobre la mesa de centro.

I left my keys on the coffee table.

A Feminine Word

In Spanish, all things are either 'masculine' or 'feminine'. 'Mesa' ends in '-a', so it's a feminine word. This means you always use 'la' or 'una' with it, like 'la mesa' (the table) or 'una mesa' (a table).

`Mesa` vs. `Tabla`

Mistake: “"Pásame la mesa para cortar el pan."”

Correction: "Pásame la tabla para cortar el pan." (Pass me the board to cut the bread). 'Mesa' is the whole piece of furniture. 'Tabla' is a flat piece of material, like a cutting board or a plank of wood.

tabla

TAH-blah/ˈtaβla/

nounB1General
Use 'tabla' for data arranged in rows and columns, such as a chart or a table of contents.
An illustration showing a grid structure of colored squares arranged neatly in rows and columns, representing a data table.

Examples

Mira la tabla de multiplicar para saber cuánto es 7 por 8.

Look at the multiplication table to know what 7 times 8 is.

Por favor, consulta la tabla de contenidos para encontrar el capítulo.

Please consult the table of contents to find the chapter.

El profesor nos hizo memorizar la tabla de multiplicar.

The teacher made us memorize the times table.

Los resultados están resumidos en la siguiente tabla.

The results are summarized in the following table.

Data vs. Furniture

Be careful: 'tabla' is for data lists, while 'mesa' is the word for the furniture you eat at or work on.

cuadro

/KWAA-droh//ˈkwaðɾo/

nounB1General
Use 'cuadro' when referring to a graphical representation of data, often in rows and columns, like a chart or diagram.
A visual representation of data organized into a simple grid structure using varying sized colorful blocks.

Examples

El informe incluye un cuadro comparativo de precios.

The report includes a comparative table of prices.

Incluí un cuadro con las ventas del último trimestre.

I included a chart with the sales from the last quarter.

El doctor analizó el cuadro de síntomas del paciente.

The doctor analyzed the patient's set of symptoms (clinical picture).

Medical Use

In medicine, 'cuadro' is often used to summarize all the physical signs and symptoms of a disease, like saying 'the whole clinical picture'.

Furniture vs. Data Displays

The most common mistake is using 'mesa' when you mean a chart or list of data. Remember, 'mesa' is strictly for the piece of furniture. For any kind of data arranged in rows and columns, use either 'tabla' or 'cuadro'.

Related Translations

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