Let’s talk about plumbing, plomería or fontanería in Spanish, being this one of the pillars in the construction area, we decided to make an article where we explore the terminology and vocabulary in Spanish applied to this profession. It is always important to be able to maintain a clear communication both with clients and in the work area, and Spanish will help you in both cases, are you ready?
Table of Content
This construction Spanish cheat sheet is focused on plumbing terms in Spanish, including some common phrases and words. We have categorized these plumbing terms in the following categories:
- Tools (Power and Manual) & Equipment
- Clothing & Safety
- Common Terms & Phrases
- Supplies/Materials
- Types of Pipes
- Plumbing Verbs
- Measurements and Fractions
- Clean Up
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Tools (Power and Manual) & Equipment
While working, you will find a great variety of tools that will allow you to perform these tasks in a fast and efficient way. Let me show you some tools and equipment that will allow you to do your job and how to name them in Spanish!
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Herramientas de corte | Cutting tools |
| Sierra | Saw |
| Cortatubos | Pipe cutters |
| Pinza a presión | Pressure clamp |
| Taladro | Drill |
| Herramientas de unión o ajuste | Joining or adjusting tools |
| Alicate pico de loro | Parrot beak pliers |
| Llave inglesa | Wrench |
| Llave Stilson / de perro | Stillson wrench |
| Cinta de teflón | Teflon tape |
| Llave de cadena | Chain wrench |
| Terraja | Tap and die |
| Herramientas para destapar a presión | Pressure unclogging tools |
| Desatascador | Plunger |
| Taladro de lavabo | Sink drill |
| Taladro de inodoro | Toilet drill |
| Desatascador con reborde | Flange plunger |
Clothing & Safety
In plumbing, it is essential to know that an accident can occur that could compromise your health, that is why we recommend to properly evaluating the work area and using the right tools and equipment. We will show you which are the safety elements that should be used to mitigate the possibility of an accident occurring.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Casco | Helmet |
| Lentes de seguridad | Safety glasses |
| Overol de seguridad | Safety coverall |
| Guantes | Gloves |
| Protector facial | Face shield |
| Mascarilla / respirador | Mask / respirator |
Supplies/Materials
You already have your safety clothing, but what materials should you use? We will leave you with a list of the most common materials to use for your plumbing work.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Válvulas | Valves |
| Reductores de tubería | Pipe reducers |
| Conexiones | Connections |
| Mangueras | Hoses |
| Codos de tubería | Pipe bends |
| Reductores de tubería | Pipe reducers |
| Uniones | Unions |
| Adaptadores de tubería | Pipe adapters |
| Brida de Inodoro / Brida Sanitaria | Toilet Flange |
| Llave de paso | Stopcock |
Types of Pipes
There is a variety of pipes depending on the activity or repair you are going to perform, whether it is a sewage or gas heating repair, each one needs specific types of pipes and suitable materials for its proper functioning. Do you know their names in Spanish?
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Tuberías de PE-X | PE-X pipes |
| Tuberías de PVC | PVC pipes |
| Tuberías multicapa | Multilayer piping |
| Tuberías de Polibutileno | Polybutylene Pipes |
| Tuberías de termofusión | Thermofusion piping |
| Tuberías de metal | Metal piping |
| Tubería de cobre | Copper pipe |
| Tuberías galvanizadas | Galvanized pipes |
| Tuberías de acero | Steel piping |
| Tuberías de acero inoxidable | Stainless-steel piping |
Plumbing Verbs
In order to have a good communication with your work team or your clients in Spanish, you must know some of the most common verbs to use while working. These will help you to have a more assertive communication and therefore better results.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Recortar | Trim |
| Unir | Join |
| Taladrar | Drilling |
| Atascar | Clogging |
| Desatascar | Unclog |
| Abastecer | Supply |
| Limpiar | Clean |
| Ensamblar | Assemble |
Measurements and Fractions
Although in Latin American or Spanish-speaking countries the measurement system used is the metric decimal system (and we can find pipes in millimeters), when we refer to pipe measurements, the language to use is inches.
Note: in fractions the first number is read as a cardinal number (one, two, three, etc.), while the second number is read as an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.). Additionally, if the first number is equal to 1 the fraction is read in singular and if it is greater than 1 the fraction is read in plural.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Centimetro | Centimeter |
| Metro | Meter (approx. 39,37 in / 3,28 ft) |
| Milímetros | Millimeters (approx. 0.039 in / 0,0032 ft) |
| Medio | Half (adjective) |
| Mitad | Half (noun) |
| Un cuarto | 1/4 |
| Un octavo | 1/8 |
| Un décimo / una décima | 1/10 |
| Tres cuartos | 3/4 |
Now let’s look at the Imperial measurement system :
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Pulgada | Inch |
| Pies | Feet |
| Pie | Foot (12 inches) |
| Yarda | Yard (approximately 3 feet) |
| Milla | Mile (5,280 feet or 1,760 yards) |
| Onza | Ounce |
| Libra | Pound |
| Galón | Gallon (U.S. liquid gallon is approximately 128 fluid ounces) |
| Pinta | Pint (U.S. liquid pint is approximately 16 fluid ounces) |
| Cuarto | Quart (U.S. liquid quart is approximately 32 fluid ounces) |
| Acre | Acre (a unit of land area) |
| Bushel | Bushel (a unit of dry volume) |
Clean Up
As plumbing is a profession that works with water (potable or residual), many times dirt is generated at the time of working, it is important to know that for best results, you must maintain cleanliness and hygiene within the work area and thus take care of your health. We will leave you a list in Spanish of the most common elements to use.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Escoba | Broom |
| Recogedor / pala | Dustpan |
| Aspiradora | Vacuum |
| Paño / trapo | Cloth |
| Pala | Shovel |
| Trapeador | Mop |
| Esponja | Sponge |
| Escobilla | Toilet brush |
| Cloro | Bleach |
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Common Terms & Phrases
There are phrases and words that you will hear frequently if your work team is Hispanic, we will show you the most common phrases so that you become familiar with the words and your work becomes easier when receiving instructions. Some of these words are technicalities of the area and others are general or applied to security.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| La plomería / fontanería | Plumbing |
| El plomero / fontanero | The plumber |
| Acometida | Connection |
| Aguas fecales | Sewage water |
| Aguas pluviales | Stormwater |
| Aguas residuales | Wastewater |
| Atascado | Stuck |
| Codos | Elbows |
| Colector | Collector |
| Grifo | Tap |
| Desagüe | Drainage |
| Broca | Drill bit |
| Corrosión | Corrosion |
| Disolvente | Solvent |
| Junta de estanqueidad | Sealing gasket |
| Reflujo | Reflux |
| Flexómetro | Flexometer |
| Galvanizado | Galvanized |
| Hierro galvanizado | Galvanized iron |
| Manómetro | Pressure gauge |
| Soplete | Blowtorch |
| Residuos | Waste |
| Teflón | Teflon |
| Latón | Brass |
| Me podrías pasar… | Could you pass me… |
| Alguien sabe dónde está… | Does anyone know where is… |
| Cuidado con… | Watch out with… |
| Peligro | Danger |
There are many tools, and you should familiarize yourself with them to improve your language day by day and learn how to communicate with your clients and in your work area. We hope this blog has been very useful for you to learn a little bit about the wide world of plumbing in Spanish!
Don’t forget to practice daily what you have learned today, connect with one of our online tutors to expand your vocabulary even more, and check out our other blogs related to the world of construction.
Other Spanish Resources for Plumbing Professionals
There are so many tools in this technologically and advanced world we live in, and you should get a hold of them in order to improve your language day to day:
➔ Use online apps like Duolingo to improve your vocabulary, and practice a little every day, so your brain gets more and more familiar with the sounds.
➔ Join online groups on Facebook with people that are learning too, so you can exchange your knowledge.
➔ Create your phrasebook, including what you have learned and useful phrases for your daily basis.
➔ Connected with the previous point, you can also get an ONLINE SPANISH TUTOR in LINGUAL LINKUP to help you create your phrasebook, expand your vocabulary and improve your understanding of spoken Spanish. Having someone who speaks the language fluently makes the difference, since you can also practice speaking and correct all pronunciation mistakes and work towards your goals. A tutor will always be your support when learning a new language.
➔ You can also check our Spanish for Electricians.
➔ And Spanish for Carpenters blogs to learn more Spanish terms.
About the Author:
Specializations: Spanish Tutors on Zoom
Bio: 28-year-old graphic designer and writer with 7 years of experience, passionate about communication in all its aspects as the main tool to forge links. I consider myself a detailed, patient, and empathetic person, so even if you consider yourself a difficult student, I will know how to guide you to reach the level of Spanish you need for whatever activity you have in mind. As a student of Literature, I always had the same love for books and their stories, as well as for the Spanish language and its formation. I believe that the best way to learn is to be passionate about what you are learning and that is what I always want to achieve with my students. I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults, so I have knowledge about the different learning stages that a person can go through and the different strategies to approach them.
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