Es el autobús de la escuela.
It's the school bus.
This is the yellow bus that stops at the corner every morning, and nobody wants to miss it. Spanish builds school bus with de: el autobús de la escuela.
From Forrest Gump · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "bus" in Spanish
el autobús
nounmasculineplural: los autobuses
"Bus" in Spanish is el autobús, stressed on the last syllable, where the accent mark sits. The plural is los autobuses, with no accent. In Mexico a city bus is el camión, in Argentina el colectivo, and in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic la guagua.
Hear "autobús" in real movie scenes
A yellow school bus and a bus in the wrong place. Each video starts and stops on that line.
¿Qué hace aquí ese autobús?
What's that bus doing here?
A bus is parked where it never stops, and this is the surprised reaction. ¿Qué hace aquí...? asks why something is somewhere it doesn't belong.
From Grown Ups 2 · Spanish audio
Autobús, camión, colectivo or guagua?
The word for a city bus changes a lot from country to country.
| Word | Where you'll hear it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el autobús | Spain, and understood everywhere | The neutral word you'll see on signs and timetables. |
| el bus | Colombia, Central America and many other places | Short and casual. |
| el camión | Mexico | In other countries a camión is a truck. |
| el colectivo | Argentina | The everyday word for a city bus in Buenos Aires. |
| la guagua | Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Canary Islands | It's feminine. In Chile and the Andes, guagua means a baby. |
Tip: Wordy teaches el autobús, the word used in Spain. In Mexico City, ask for el camión.
Grammar: el autobús, los autobuses
Four points for getting around by bus.
Masculine
el autobús, un autobús. Adjectives agree with it: un autobús nuevo, los autobuses viejos.The accent disappears
Singular autobús, plural autobuses. The stress stays on -bu-, so the written accent is no longer needed.By bus: en autobús
Transport takes en and no article: Voy en autobús. A una hora de autobús means an hour away by bus.Catching the bus
In Spain people say coger el autobús. In Latin America use tomar, because coger is vulgar in several countries.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es un autobús nuevo.
It's a new bus.
El autobús está en la plaza.
The bus is in the square.
Hoy no hay ningún autobús.
There's no bus at all today.
A una hora de autobús.
An hour away by bus.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗los autobúses
✓los autobuses
The plural drops the written accent.
✗Voy con el autobús
✓Voy en autobús
Travel by bus takes en, without the article.
✗Cojo el autobús (in Mexico or Argentina)
✓Tomo el autobús
Coger has a vulgar meaning in much of Latin America. Tomar is safe everywhere.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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The other 23 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Autobús is auto plus bus, with the stress landing on the bus: ow-toh-BOOS.
Questions about "bus" in Spanish
How do you say bus in Spanish?
El autobús. You'll also hear el camión in Mexico, el colectivo in Argentina and la guagua in the Caribbean.
What is the plural of autobús?
Los autobuses. The plural adds -es and loses the written accent.
How do you say "by bus" in Spanish?
En autobús, with no article: Voy al trabajo en autobús.
How do you say school bus in Spanish?
El autobús escolar. In conversation you'll also hear el autobús de la escuela.
