How to say cone in Spanish and how to say rent in Spanish. One thing that always amazes me about the Spanish language is that it has so many synonyms.
A few nights ago, I went to the movies with a friend here in Medellin, Colombia. We arrived early so we decided to buy some “helado” (ice cream) while we waited.
How To Say Cone In Spanish
I asked the “cajera” (cashier) for a “cono de helado” or ice cream cone. But my friend used another word for cone. A word that is commonly used in Latin America for cone: cucurucho
That is, my friend asked the “cajera” for a “cucurucho de helado” (ice cream cone).
“Cucurucho” is NOT Medellin “jerga” (slang) for the Spanish word “cono.” How do I know?
According to the online dictionary of the “Real Academia Española” (Royal Academy of Spanish), both “cucurucho” and “cono” apparently mean cone.
If you are not familiar with the “Real Academia Española” (RAE) it is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language. Although it is based in Madrid, Spain, it is affiliated with 21 Spanish-speaking countries. Here’s a link to their web site:
I have also heard the word “cucurucho” used to refer to a “pointed cap” or “cone-shaped hat.” Both a dunce cap and the type of of pointed cap that you’d put on a child at birthday party.
- Para el disfraz de princesa su madre le hizo un cucurucho de cartón.
- (For a costume as a princess, her mother made her a pointed hat made of cardboard.)
- WARNING: Don’t get the two words “cucurucho” and “cucaracha” mixed-up. The former means “cone” or “pointed cap.” And the latter means “cockroach.”
You wouldn’t want someone in an “heladería” (ice cream shop) to think that you were ordering a cockroach instead of an ice cream cone 🙂
How To Say Rent In Spanish
While we are on the topic of synonyms, here’s another one. The Spanish word that is used for rent. I am not talking about the verb “to rent.” I am referring to the noun “rent” — as in the payment that is made periodically by a tenant to a landlord for the use of land, a building, an apartment, an office, or other property.
In New York, I used to hear my Puerto Rican friend use the Spanish word “renta.” But in Colombia the word that is used for rent is “arrendamiento.” And we have a LSLC Spanish instructor who lives in Guatemala. And in some Spanish lessons that she wrote for us she used the word “alquiler.” By the way, all 3 words appear in RAE’s online dictionary. Here’ are some examples using these 3 words which mean “rent.”
- Yo pagué el alquiler este mes.
- (I paid the rent this month.)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- Ella no pudo pagar el arrendamiento y la desalojaron.
- (She could not pay the rent and they evicted her.)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- El dueño dijo, “hay que pagar la renta cada mes.”
- (The landlord said, “one has to pay the rent every month.”)
By the way, the Spanish verbs for “to rent” are “alquilar” and “rentar.”
- No podíamos comprar una casa, por eso rentamos un apartamento.
- (We could not buy a house,so we rented an apartment.)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- Me gustaría alquilar una casa en la playa.
- (I would like to rent a house on the beach.)
