How to Say "trolley" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “trolley” is “carrito” — use 'carrito' for any small, wheeled cart, most commonly a shopping cart or a handcart used for carrying items.
carrito
kah-RREE-tohkaˈrito
Examples
Necesito un carrito para poner todas estas verduras.
I need a shopping cart to put all these vegetables in.
El niño perdió su carrito preferido en el parque.
The boy lost his favorite toy car in the park.
Puedes usar el carrito de la compra para llevar las bolsas al auto.
You can use the shopping cart to take the bags to the car.
The '-ito' Ending
In Spanish, adding '-ito' to the end of a word like 'carro' (car/cart) makes it smaller or cuter. This is why a small car or a shopping cart is called a 'carrito'.
The Double 'R'
When you see 'rr', you need to roll your tongue! Since this word has 'rr', make sure to give it that extra trill sound.
Confusing with a real car
Mistake: “Using 'carrito' to refer to a full-sized drivable automobile.”
Correction: Use 'coche' or 'carro' for a real vehicle. 'Carrito' is almost always for toys or shopping carts.
carro
KAH-rrohˈkarro
Examples
Necesitamos un carro grande para llevar todas estas bolsas del mercado.
We need a big cart to carry all these grocery bags.
El granjero cargó la paja en el carro tirado por el caballo.
The farmer loaded the straw onto the wagon pulled by the horse.
Diminutive Form
To talk about a small cart, like a shopping cart or a toy wagon, you can use the diminutive form 'carrito'.
tranvía
tran-BEE-ahtɾanˈbi.a
Examples
El tranvía pasa cada diez minutos por esta calle.
The streetcar passes through this street every ten minutes.
Es mucho más ecológico viajar en tranvía que en coche.
It is much more eco-friendly to travel by tram than by car.
Los turistas disfrutan del recorrido en el tranvía histórico.
Tourists enjoy the ride on the historic streetcar.
A Word that Tricks You
Even though this word ends in '-a', it is masculine. You must say 'el tranvía' and 'los tranvías'. This happens because it was borrowed from the English word 'tramway'.
Don't Forget the Accent
The 'í' has a written accent mark to show that the 'i' and 'a' are pronounced as two separate sounds, rather than blending together.
The Gender Trap
Mistake: “La tranvía es roja.”
Correction: El tranvía es rojo. This is a masculine word, so use 'el' and adjectives that end in '-o'.
Cart vs. Streetcar Confusion
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.