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spade and Spanish espada
In English
spade
a digging tool / a card suit
In Spanish
espada
arma
Spanish "espada" means: sword
Why they get mixed up Spanish "espada" is the weapon with a long, sharp blade. English "spade" is a digging tool for soil. Despite some visual resemblance, "sword" is the English word for espada.
If you want to say...
- spadepala
- swordespada
- spades (cards)picas
Examples
He dug the hole with a spade.
Cavó el hoyo con una pala.
She drew the ace of spades.
Sacó el as de picas.
He used a spade to dig up the potatoes.
Usó una pala para sacar las papas.
The queen of spades appeared in the last hand.
La reina de picas apareció en la última mano.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Cavó un hoyo con una espada.
Correct: Cavó un hoyo con una pala.
Espada is a sword. A spade is una pala.
Incorrect: Cavamos el jardín con dos espadas.
Correct: Cavamos el jardín con dos palas.
Use palas for digging tools.
Phrases you will hear
- dig with a spadecavar con una pala
- a garden spadeuna pala de jardín
- the ace of spadesel as de picas
- call a spade a spadellamar las cosas por su nombre
- a sworduna espada
- a shoveluna pala
In a conversation
- A:
Dig the hole with a spade.
Cava el hoyo con una pala.
- B:
I only have a shovel.
Solo tengo una pala grande.
- A:
That works. Let's call a spade a spade: you forgot the tools.
Sirve. Digamos las cosas como son: olvidaste las herramientas.
- B:
And the knight brought his sword, not a spade!
¡Y el caballero trajo su espada, no una pala!
Test yourself
"A garden spade" is...
To remember it
Spade = a digging tool (or the card suit). A sword (Spanish "espada") = sword.
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "espada" mean?
Spanish "espada" means "sword". It looks like the English "spade", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "spade" means "a digging tool / a card suit".
Does English "spade" mean the same as Spanish "espada"?
Spanish "espada" is the weapon with a long, sharp blade. English "spade" is a digging tool for soil. Despite some visual resemblance, "sword" is the English word for espada.