vs
QUICK ANSWER
"Cuba" is a noun which is often translated as "barrel", and "barril" is a noun which is also often translated as "barrel". Learn more about the difference between "cuba" and "barril" below.
la cuba(
koo
-
bah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (keg)
2. (vessel)
a. tub
Cuando éramos bebés, mi abuela nos bañaba a mi hermana y a mí en una cuba metálica.When we were babies, my grandmother used to bathe my sister and me in a a metal tub.
b. vat
Visitamos una cervecera, y nos impresionaron las enormes cubas en las que fermenta la cerveza.We visited a brewery, and we were impressed by the huge vats where beer ferments.
3. (transport)
a. tanker
En el vídeo pueden verse las cubas que transportan agua a las zonas afectadas por la catástrofe.In the video you can see the tankers carrying water to the disaster-affected areas.
4. (colloquial) (youngest son or daughter) (Colombia) (Venezuela)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in Colombia
Regionalism used in Venezuela
a. youngest child
Mis hermanos mayores dicen que todo es mucho más fácil cuando eres la cuba, pero yo no estoy de acuerdo.My older brothers say that everything is easier when you're the youngest child, but I don't agree.
el barril(
bah
-
rreel
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (container)
a. barrel
Se acabó el último barril de cerveza del bar y no pudieron servir más.They finished off the last barrel of beer in the bar and couldn't serve any more.
c. keg (of metal)
El transportista descargó del camión tres barriles y los llevó al bar.The driver unloaded three kegs from the truck and took them to the bar.
