Inklingo

How to Say "terminal" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “terminal” is “terminal” — use this word when referring to a building or area where buses, trains, or planes arrive and depart, essentially a transport hub..

English → Spanish

terminal

tehr-mee-NAHL/teɾmiˈnal/

nounA2
Use this word when referring to a building or area where buses, trains, or planes arrive and depart, essentially a transport hub.
A large, brightly colored articulated bus parked at a covered station platform, clearly indicating a central transport hub where passengers wait.

Examples

El tren llegará a la terminal norte en cinco minutos.

The train will arrive at the north terminal in five minutes.

Llegamos a la terminal de autobuses una hora antes de la salida.

We arrived at the bus terminal one hour before departure.

La terminal 2 del aeropuerto está muy lejos de aquí.

Airport Terminal 2 is very far from here.

Hay que cambiar de tren en la terminal principal.

You have to change trains at the main station.

Gender Note

Even though 'terminal' ends in -l, it is usually feminine (la terminal) when referring to a transport station in Latin America and Spain.

Always Agrees

As an adjective, 'terminal' must match the gender and number of the noun it describes (e.g., 'fase terminal' feminine singular, 'puntos terminales' masculine plural).

Gender Shift

When referring to a computer or device, 'terminal' is generally masculine (el terminal), contrasting with the feminine used for travel stations (la terminal).

terminal

nounB1
Use this word when referring to a computer interface, usually a command-line window, where you can type commands.

Examples

Abre un terminal y escribe 'ls' para ver los archivos.

Open a terminal and type 'ls' to see the files.

terminal

adjectiveB2formal
Use this adjective to describe a final or concluding stage, most commonly used in medical contexts for diseases.

Examples

La enfermedad se encontraba en una etapa terminal cuando la diagnosticaron.

The illness was in a terminal stage when they diagnosed it.

polo

/POH-loh//ˈpo.lo/

nounB1
Use this word when referring to a pole, such as the North Pole or South Pole, or an electrical pole.
A snowy arctic landscape with a single tall, thin red and white striped pole standing upright in the snow.

Examples

Los científicos estudian el cambio climático en el Polo Sur.

Scientists study climate change at the South Pole.

El Polo Norte es el punto más septentrional de la Tierra.

The North Pole is the northernmost point on Earth.

La batería tiene un polo positivo y un polo negativo.

The battery has a positive pole and a negative pole.

Capitalization

When referring to the specific geographic locations, 'Polo Norte' and 'Polo Sur' are usually capitalized in Spanish, just like in English.

Transport Hub vs. Computer Interface

Learners often mistakenly use 'polo' for transport hubs or computer terminals. Remember that 'terminal' is the correct Spanish word for both a bus/train/airport station and a command-line interface. 'Polo' refers to geographical poles or electrical poles.

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