Oye, aceite.
Hey, oil.
The oil has run out right when it's needed, and the bare word aceite, with no article, is enough to ask for more.
From The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "oil" in Spanish
el aceite
nounmasculineplural: los aceites
"Oil" in Spanish is el aceite. It's the word for cooking oil, olive oil (el aceite de oliva) and the oil in a car engine. Crude oil, the fuel pumped out of the ground, has its own word: el petróleo.
Hear "aceite" in real movie scenes
A one-word request and a comparison English uses too. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Sí, eh... como aceite y agua.
Yeah, um... like oil and water.
Spanish uses the same picture as English for two people who don't go together: oil stays on top of water and the two never mix.
From Definitivamente, tal vez · Spanish audio
Kinds of oil in Spanish
Most of them are aceite plus de and what the oil is made from.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el aceite de oliva | olive oil |
| el aceite de oliva virgen extra | extra virgin olive oil |
| el aceite de girasol | sunflower oil |
| el aceite de motor | motor oil |
| el petróleo | crude oil, petroleum |
| la pintura al óleo | oil painting |
Tip: When the news talks about oil prices, the word is el petróleo: el precio del petróleo.
Grammar: el aceite, los aceites
Four things to know before you ask for it.
Masculine, so el
Say el aceite and un aceite. Anything that describes it takes the masculine ending: El aceite es muy bueno.Some oil, no article
For an amount, drop the article: Necesito aceite. To ask for a little, use un poco de aceite. The plural los aceites means different kinds of oil.Aceite de + what it's made of
The source goes after de: aceite de oliva, aceite de girasol, aceite de coco. Aceite always comes first.Two sounds to get right
The ei rhymes with English say. The c before e is an s in Latin America and a th sound, as in think, in most of Spain.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Un poco de aceite, por favor.
A little oil, please.
El aceite está en la mesa.
The oil is on the table.
El aceite es muy bueno.
The oil is very good.
Necesito aceite para el baño.
I need oil for the bath.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗la aceite es buena
✓el aceite es bueno
Aceite is masculine, and the adjective has to match it.
✗el aceite (meaning crude oil)
✓el petróleo
Oil as a fuel or an industry is petróleo. Aceite is for the kitchen, the skin or the engine.
✗la aceituna (meaning oil)
✓el aceite
La aceituna is the olive itself. The oil pressed from it is el aceite de oliva.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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The other 22 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Aceite hides at the start of aceituna, the Spanish word for olive. Picture squeezing an aceituna until aceite runs out.
Questions about "oil" in Spanish
How do you say oil in Spanish?
El aceite. Olive oil is el aceite de oliva, and crude oil is el petróleo.
Is aceite masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el aceite, los aceites. So you say el aceite es bueno, never la aceite.
How do you say olive oil in Spanish?
Aceite de oliva. Extra virgin olive oil is aceite de oliva virgen extra.
What's the difference between aceite and petróleo?
Aceite is oil you cook with, put on your skin or pour into an engine. Petróleo is crude oil, the raw fuel taken from the ground.
