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"Cuba" is a noun which is often translated as "barrel", and "tonel" is a noun which is also often translated as "barrel". Learn more about the difference between "cuba" and "tonel" 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 tonel(
toh
-
nehl
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (keg)
2. (colloquial) (fat person)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. fatty (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Ahora, mis antiguas compañeras de clase y yo estamos todas hechas unos toneles.These days, my old classmates and I are all fatties.
b. butterball (colloquial) (United States)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Regionalism used in the United States
Mi compañera engordó tanto que ahora parece un tonel.My coworker put on so much weight that she looks a real butterball.
c. tubby (colloquial) (adjective)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Mario está hecho un tonel porque tiene un problema de tiroides.Mario has gotten really tubby because of a thyroid problem.
