¿Y tu maleta, hija?
And your suitcase, honey?
The airline has already lost her boyfriend's suitcase, so now someone asks about hers with tu maleta.
From La familia de mi novia · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "suitcase" in Spanish
la maleta
nounfeminineplural: las maletas
"Suitcase" in Spanish is la maleta. To pack, you hacer la maleta, and all your bags together are el equipaje, luggage. In Argentina and Uruguay people also say la valija.
Hear "maleta" in real movie scenes
A missing bag and a trip that's off. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Regresa las maletas, ¿está bien?
Take the suitcases back, okay?
The trip is called off, so the packed suitcases go back where they were. Using regresar for "take back" is typical of Latin America.
Suitcase and luggage words
What to call each bag, from the check-in desk to the train.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la maleta | suitcase |
| la valija | suitcase (Argentina, Uruguay) |
| el maletín | briefcase, small case |
| el equipaje | luggage, baggage |
| el equipaje de mano | carry-on luggage |
| hacer la maleta | to pack |
Tip: At an airport in Spain, follow the signs for recogida de equipajes to find baggage claim.
Grammar: la maleta, las maletas
Four things to get right before your trip.
Feminine: la maleta
la maleta, una maleta, las maletas. The adjective takes -a too: una maleta barata.Plural on both words
Add -s to the noun and the adjective: unas maletas limpias, las maletas pequeñas.Packing is hacer la maleta
Spanish packs with hacer: Hago la maleta esta noche. Unpacking is deshacer la maleta.Maleta, bolso or bolsa
la maleta is the travel case, el bolso is a handbag, and la bolsa is a bag such as a shopping bag.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Es una maleta barata.
It's a cheap suitcase.
Es una maleta grande.
It's a big suitcase.
Son unas maletas limpias.
They're clean suitcases.
Esa maleta vale catorce millones.
That suitcase is worth fourteen million.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗el maleta
✓la maleta
Maleta is feminine, so it goes with la and una.
✗Tengo tres equipajes
✓Tengo tres maletas
Equipaje means all your bags at once. To count them, count maletas.
✗el maletín (for a big travel case)
✓la maleta
A maletín is a briefcase or a small case, and it's masculine.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
Free, and you don't need an account.
1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 34 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Maleta sounds like mallet. Picture yourself hitting an overstuffed suitcase with a mallet until it finally closes.
Questions about "suitcase" in Spanish
How do you say suitcase in Spanish?
La maleta. In Argentina and Uruguay you'll also hear la valija.
How do you say "pack your suitcase" in Spanish?
Haz la maleta, said to a friend. In Latin America many people use the verb empacar instead.
What's the difference between maleta and equipaje?
A maleta is one suitcase. El equipaje is all your luggage together, so it normally stays singular.
How do you say carry-on in Spanish?
El equipaje de mano, literally hand luggage. The bag itself is often called una maleta de mano.
