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"La pila" is a form of "pila", a noun which is often translated as "battery". "La batea" is a form of "batea", a noun which is often translated as "tray". Learn more about the difference between "la pila" and "la batea" below.
la pila(
pee
-
lah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
a. sink
Necesité una hora para fregar todos los platos de la pila.It took me an hour to wash all the dishes in the sink.
b. basin (of fountain)
Unos niños rompieron la pila de la fuente de la plaza.Some kids broke the basin of the fountain in the square.
c. fountain (public water source) (South America)
Regionalism used in South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela
La mujer llenó dos cubos de agua en la pila.The woman filled two buckets of water at the fountain.
3. (religious)
4. (heap)
5. (colloquial) (large amount)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. loads (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
Recibió una pila de correos electrónicos de todas partes del mundo.He received loads of emails from all over the world.
b. a ton (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
El profesor de matemáticas siempre nos da una pila de deberes.The math teacher always gives us a ton of homework.
a. pile
Las pilas del puente son de hormigón armado.The piles of the bridge are made of reinforced concrete.
7. (computing)
a. stack
No entiendo la diferencia entre las pilas y las colas.I don't understand the difference between stacks and queues.
la batea(
bah
-
teh
-
ah
)A feminine noun is almost always used with feminine articles and adjectives (e.g., la mujer bonita, la luna llena).
1. (tableware)
a. tray
El sirviente trajo una batea con manzanas, peras y uvas.The servant brought a tray with apples, pears, and grapes.
2. (mining)
a. washing pan
José levantó su batea del agua y vio una pepita de oro.Jose raised his washing pan from the water and saw a gold nugget.
3. (container)
a. trough
La lavandera salió y lavó las camisas en la batea.The washerwoman went outside and washed the shirts in the trough.
4. (nautical)
a. punt
A los turistas les encanta navegar el estrecho río que divide la ciudad en una batea.Tourists love to cruise in a punt along the narrow river that divides the city.
b. flat-bottomed boat
Esta batea puede transportar a 12 pasajeros máximo.This flat-bottomed boat can carry 12 passengers maximum.
