Voy por un vaso de vino.
I'm going to get a glass of wine.
To say how much you want, Spanish puts the amount first, then de, then the drink: un vaso de vino.
From Dr. House · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "glass" in Spanish
el vaso
nounmasculineplural: los vasos
A drinking glass in Spanish is el vaso, so a glass of water is un vaso de agua. Glass as a material is el vidrio, or el cristal in Spain. A glass with a stem, the kind you use for wine, is often called una copa.
Hear "vaso" in a real movie scene
Someone heads off to get a drink. The video starts and stops on that line.
Vaso, copa, vidrio or cristal?
English uses one word for all of these. Spanish picks a word by shape and by use.
| Spanish | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el vaso | A drinking glass without a stem | un vaso de leche (a glass of milk) |
| la copa | A glass with a stem, for wine or champagne | una copa de cava (a glass of cava) |
| el vidrio | Glass as a material | una botella de vidrio (a glass bottle) |
| el cristal | Glass as a material or a pane, very common in Spain | el cristal de la ventana (the windowpane) |
| las gafas | Glasses you wear. Latin America often says los lentes or los anteojos | mis gafas de sol (my sunglasses) |
Tip: When you ask for a drink, the word is always vaso or copa. Asking for un vidrio de agua sounds like you want a piece of glass.
Grammar: el vaso, los vasos
Four points for ordering and talking about glasses.
Masculine, ends in -o
el vaso, un vaso, los vasos. Adjectives agree: un vaso limpio, dos vasos vacíos.Glass + de + drink
un vaso de agua, dos vasos de cerveza. English says "of", Spanish says de, and you can't leave it out.de, con or para
un vaso de agua is a glass of water. un vaso con agua is a glass with water in it. un vaso para agua is a glass made for water, maybe empty.The v sounds like b
Say BAH-soh, with a soft b and a clear s. Spanish has no separate v sound.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Un vaso de vino, por favor.
A glass of wine, please.
¿Tiene otro vaso?
Do you have another glass?
Un vaso de vino y unas patatas.
A glass of wine and some fries.
¿Quieres un vaso de vino?
Would you like a glass of wine?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗un vaso vino
✓un vaso de vino
A container and its contents need de in between, every time.
✗una vaso
✓un vaso
Vaso is masculine, so the article is un or el.
✗un vidrio de agua (ordering a drink)
✓un vaso de agua
Vidrio is the material. The thing you drink from is a vaso.
Real conversation: ordering at the bar
A short dialog at a busy bar counter.
You're at the counter of a crowded bar with your coworker, and you two have to decide what to order. The waiter suggested the squid.
Yo, un vaso de vino. ¿Y tú?
A glass of wine for me. And you?
Pues al final unas patatas.
Well, in the end, some fries.
¿Y el calamar? No sé...
And the squid? I'm not sure...
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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The other 33 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Vaso sounds like vase. A vase holds water for flowers, and a vaso holds water for you.
Questions about "glass" in Spanish
How do you say glass in Spanish?
For a drinking glass, el vaso: un vaso de agua. For glass as a material, el vidrio, or el cristal in Spain.
What's the difference between vaso and copa?
A vaso has no stem, like a tumbler. A copa stands on a stem, like a wine or champagne glass.
How do you say "a glass of water" in Spanish?
Un vaso de agua. To order one, add por favor: Un vaso de agua, por favor.
How do you say glasses for your eyes in Spanish?
Las gafas in Spain. In much of Latin America people say los lentes or los anteojos.
