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carpet and Spanish carpeta
In English
carpet
a rug that covers the floor
In Spanish
carpeta
para guardar papeles
Spanish "carpeta" means: folder
Why they get mixed up Spanish "carpeta" is a document folder or file organizer. English "carpet" is the rug that covers a room's floor. A document folder in English is "folder" or "binder."
If you want to say...
- carpetalfombra
- foldercarpeta
- rugtapete o alfombra pequeña
Examples
They have a soft red carpet in the living room.
Tienen una alfombra roja y suave en la sala.
Take off your shoes, the carpet is new.
Quítate los zapatos, la alfombra es nueva.
There is a stain on the carpet near the door.
Hay una mancha en la alfombra cerca de la puerta.
Put the documents in a blue folder, not on the carpet.
Pon los documentos en una carpeta azul, no sobre la alfombra.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Tengo que aspirar la carpeta de la sala.
Correct: Tengo que aspirar la alfombra de la sala.
Carpeta is a folder, not a carpet. A carpet is una alfombra.
Incorrect: Compramos una carpeta nueva para el dormitorio.
Correct: Compramos una alfombra nueva para el dormitorio.
Unless you mean a folder for papers, use alfombra for the thing on the floor.
Phrases you will hear
- a wall-to-wall carpetuna alfombra de pared a pared
- the red carpetla alfombra roja
- a Persian carpetuna alfombra persa
- a folder on the deskuna carpeta sobre el escritorio
- sweep it under the carpetesconder un problema
- carpet cleaninglimpieza de alfombras
In a conversation
- A:
Did you save the file?
¿Guardaste el archivo?
- B:
Yes, in a folder on my desktop.
Sí, en una carpeta del escritorio.
- A:
Great. By the way, the new carpet looks nice.
Genial. Por cierto, la alfombra nueva se ve bonita.
- B:
Thanks! It's soft under my feet.
¡Gracias! Es suave bajo los pies.
Test yourself
What do you walk on at home?
To remember it
Carpet goes on the floor (a rug). A document folder is "folder."
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "carpeta" mean?
Spanish "carpeta" means "folder". It looks like the English "carpet", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "carpet" means "a rug that covers the floor".
Does English "carpet" mean the same as Spanish "carpeta"?
Spanish "carpeta" is a document folder or file organizer. English "carpet" is the rug that covers a room's floor. A document folder in English is "folder" or "binder."