Most common way to say "Driver's License"

Question

What term is used the most in Mexico for driver's license: Licencia de manejar o licencia de conducir?

Answer 1

I don´t specifically know the answer, but I´m dead certain that I´ve come across it. However, there almost certainly is not just one right answer. What you really want to know is what term is used in the locality where you want to use it.

Call the local office where you go to get a drivers license, and if you need to know the Spanish word for drivers license, someone there will know what it is - or, alternatively, the signs on the doors and walls at that office will have everything in both English and Spanish. Say, como dice en español, drivers license, if the people there habla español.

OK, just to prove to the more rigid people here that I´m not just some psycho TexMex person, a little project.

On the Spanish version of the Texas Department of Public Safety web site, it´s la licensia de conducir. This might not resemble the term they use in Castille.

Websters New World dictionary says for drivig license; n carent m, or (LAm) permiso m de conducir. Permiso de conducir is defined as driving license. Licensia de conducir is also defined as driving license.

In the U.S. if you asked for a permit to drive instead of a license to drive, the danger would be you'd be understood to mean a permit to drive in some special circumstance or context.

Oxford New Spanish Dictionary has two words for to drive; conducir or manejar.
Drivers license is permiso de conducir, licencia de concción (Latin America), licencia (de manejar) (Mexico).

Now, there are a variety of words for car - coche, auto, automóvile, plus carro, and two for bus - camion and autobus. One of my Spanish texts prefers coche, the other prefers automovile, and in Austin, Texas auto or automovile are preferred.

"Mexicans" in Austin are from all over anyway, and I suppose if they didn't know what a licensia de conducir was, I'd try a permiso de conducir, and then a licensiade Manejar, and so forth. Anyhow, they're going to know if they manejan or conducen el auto.

Answer 2

Hi Watermonitor. Welcome to the forum.

Although Mexicans use "manejar" instead of "conducir" when talking about driving, a driving license is called "licencia de conducir."

This is just my experience while in Mexico. Let's wait and hear what others have to say.

Ditto this. Also common is "licencia de conductor" - Gekkosan, MAR 23, 2010

Answer 3

Correction

Oxford New Spanish Dictionary has two words for to drive; conducir or manejar. Drivers license is permiso de conducir, licencia de concción (Latin America), licencia (de manejar) (Mexico). that's licensia de conducción (Latin America)