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"Las pilas" is a form of "pila", a noun which is often translated as "battery". "Ponerse al día" is a pronominal verb phrase which is often translated as "to bring oneself up to date". Learn more about the difference between "ponerse al día" and "las pilas" below.
ponerse al día(
poh
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nehr
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seh
ahl
dee
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ah
)A pronominal verb phrase combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Se dio cuenta del problema.)
a. to bring oneself up to date
Hace una semana que no veo las noticias. Ahora tendré que ponerme al día.I haven't been watching the news for the last week. Now I'll have to bring myself up to date.
b. to get up to date
Si quieres volver a trabajar como oncólogo, debes ponerte al día de todos los avances en el campo.If you want to work as an oncologist again, you should get up to date with all the advances in the field.
a. to get up to date
La empresa recibió una inyección de capital, lo que le permitió ponerse al día en los pagos.The company recieved a capital injection, which made it possible for it to get up to date with the payments.
b. to catch up
María estuvo enferma la semana pasada, pero enseguida se ha puesto al día con su trabajo.Maria was ill last week, but she's caught up with her work very quickly.
poner al día
A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g., take out the trash.).
3. (to inform)
a. to bring up to date
Tienes que ponerme al día de los chismorreos del barrio porque llevo un mes fuera.You have to bring me up to date with the neighborhood gossip because I've been away for one month.
b. to update
El ministro de Defensa puso al día al presidente sobre los últimos acontecimientos.The Secretary of Defense updated the president on the latest events.
a. to bring up to date
Este año hice varios cursos y una pasantía, así que tengo que poner al día mi currículum.This year I took several courses and did an internship, so I have to bring my CV up to date.
b. to update
Una vez a la semana viene un contador para poner al día los libros de contabilidad.An accountant comes once a week to update the ledgers.
la pila(
pee
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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.
