Sí, gafas para conducir.
Yes, glasses for driving.
These glasses only come out behind the wheel, and para conducir tells you what they are for.
From S.W.A.T. · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "glasses" in Spanish
las gafas
nounfemininealways plural
"Glasses" in Spanish is las gafas. The word is feminine and always plural, even when you mean one pair: unas gafas negras. In Mexico and much of Latin America people say los lentes, and in Argentina los anteojos.
Hear "gafas" in a real scene
A pair kept for one job. The video starts and stops on that line.
Gafas, lentes or anteojos?
Three words for the glasses you wear, and two for the ones you drink from.
| Spanish | Where you'll hear it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| las gafas | Spain | The word Wordy teaches. Sunglasses are gafas de sol. |
| los lentes | Mexico and much of Latin America | Masculine in this meaning. Sunglasses are lentes de sol. |
| los anteojos | Argentina, Uruguay and some other countries | Built from ante (in front of) and ojos (eyes). |
| el vaso | Everywhere | A drinking glass, like un vaso de agua. |
| la copa | Everywhere | A glass with a stem, for wine or a toast. |
Tip: All three eyewear words are plural, so the verb and the adjectives go plural with them: Mis lentes son nuevos, Mis gafas son nuevas.
Grammar: las gafas, unas gafas
Four points for talking about the glasses you wear.
Feminine and plural
Say las gafas or unas gafas for one pair. Spanish doesn't use a singular la gafa for your glasses.Everything goes plural
The verb and the adjective follow: Las gafas son nuevas. Mis gafas están en la mesa.Types with de and para
gafas de sol sunglasses, gafas de lectura reading glasses, gafas para conducir glasses for driving.Wearing them
Use llevar: Llevo gafas. I wear glasses. To put them on, use ponerse: Me pongo las gafas.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Mis gafas son pequeñas.
My glasses are small.
Son unas gafas negras.
They're a pair of black glasses.
Las gafas son de mi marido.
The glasses are my husband's.
Aquí hay gafas de diecisiete euros.
Here there are glasses for seventeen euros.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la gafa (one pair)
✓las gafas
For the glasses on your face, the word stays plural even when there is only one pair.
✗unas gafas negros
✓unas gafas negras
Gafas is feminine, so every adjective with it ends in -as.
✗dos gafas de vino (at dinner)
✓dos copas de vino
Gafas are only for your eyes. A wine glass is a copa, and a water glass is a vaso.
Real conversation: you forgot your bag
A short dialog on a café terrace. Tap to listen.
You left your bag on the café terrace, and Andrea, the waitress, calls after you.
¡Oye! ¿Es tu bolso?
Hey! Is this your bag?
¡Sí, muchas gracias!
Yes, thank you so much!
Un reloj, unas gafas, una carta...
A watch, a pair of glasses, a letter...
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last line.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 25 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Gafas starts like gaffe. Picture the gaffe of walking into the wrong restroom because you left your gafas at home.
Questions about "glasses" in Spanish
How do you say glasses in Spanish?
Las gafas in Spain, los lentes in Mexico and much of Latin America, and los anteojos in Argentina. All three are plural.
Is gafas singular or plural?
Plural, even for a single pair: unas gafas, mis gafas son nuevas. It's also feminine, so adjectives end in -as.
How do you say sunglasses in Spanish?
Gafas de sol in Spain, lentes de sol in Mexico and anteojos de sol in Argentina.
How do you say a glass of water in Spanish?
Un vaso de agua. Gafas only covers the glasses you wear. For wine, the glass is una copa.
