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"Cubo" is a form of "cubo", a noun which is often translated as "bucket". "Pala" is a noun which is often translated as "shovel". Learn more about the difference between "cubo" and "pala" below.
el cubo(
koo
-
boh
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (container)
a. bucketful
Tono me regaló un cubo de chocolates para mi cumpleaños.Tono gave me a bucketful of chocolates for my birthday.
b. bucket
Compré un cubo de maíz en el mercado de granjeros.I bought a bucket of corn at the farmers market.
c. pail
El portero lanzó un cubo de agua helada sobre la cabeza de su entrenador at terminar una sesión intensiva de entrenamiento.The goalkeeper threw a pail of ice water over his coach's head after a grueling training session.
a. hub
El cubo lo vas a tener que reemplazar, ya que se rompieron casi todos los rayos en el accidente.You'll have to replace the hub since almost all the spokes were broken in the accident.
6. (mechanics)
a. drum
El cubo de la secadora tiene un cúmulo de pelusa.There's an accumulation of lint in the dryer drum.
a. millpond
El molino dejó de funcionar porque casi no había agua en el cubo.The mill stopped working because there was hardly any water in the millpond.
a. turret
Puedes subirte a la azotea mediante la escalera del cubo.You can go up to the roof through the staircase in the turret.
la pala(
pah
-
lah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (tool)
a. shovel
Necesito una pala más grande para quitar la nieve de la puerta.I need a bigger shovel to remove the snow from the doorway.
c. dustpan (used with a broom or brush) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
Tendrás que utilizar el cepillo y la pala para barrer porque la aspiradora no funciona.You'll have to use the broom and dustpan to sweep up as the vacuum cleaner isn't working.
2. (culinary)
a. spatula (for lifting or turning)
Te iría mejor comprar una pala de madera para no rayar la sartén.You'd be better off buying a wooden spatula so you don't scratch the frying pan.
c. fish knife (piece of cutlery)
A la hora de comer pescado, hay que tomar el tenedor con la mano izquierda y la pala con la derecha.When eating fish, you should hold the fork in your left hand and the fish knife in your right.
d. scoop (for sugar or flour)
Puedes usar una cuchara en lugar de una pala de azúcar.You could use a spoon instead of a sugar scoop.
f. peel (for pizza or bread)
Espolvoree un poco de harina sobre la pala de madera para que la masa de pizza no se pegue.Sprinkle some flour on the wooden peel so that the pizza dough doesn't stick.
a. paddle (table tennis or paddle tennis) (United States)
Regionalism used in the United States
La pala de ping-pong tiene que ser más ligera.The ping-pong paddle needs to be lighter.
b. bat (table tennis or paddle tennis) (United Kingdom)
Regionalism used in the United Kingdom
La pala está muy desgastada de darle a la pelota.The bat is very worn from hitting the ball.
c. racket (frontenis)
Traen sus palas para jugar un par de partidas de frontenis.Bring your rackets so we can play a couple of rounds of frontenis.
4. (canoeing)
a. upper (part above sole)
Las palas de estos zapatos son de piel.The upper on these shoes is made of leather.
b. vamp (technical) (part covering front of foot)
A word or phrase that is only used by experts, professionals, or academics in a particular field (e.g., exposition).
La pala y la parte superior son sintéticas.The vamp and upper are synthetic.
7. (colloquial) (anatomy)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. (upper) front tooth
Cuando era pequeña, tenía unas palas enormes.When I was a child, my upper front teeth were enormous.
8. (colloquial) (guile)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
