Quick answer
Me he sacado el carné de conducir.
I have got my driving licence. Spanish says sacarse el carné, literally to take the licence out, for passing the test.
The words
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el coche | the car |
| el carné de conducir | the driving licence |
| la autoescuela | the driving school |
| el volante | the steering wheel |
| el freno | the brake |
| la marcha | the gear |
| la gasolinera | the petrol station |
| el peaje | the toll |
| la autopista | the motorway |
| la rotonda | the roundabout |
| el atasco | the traffic jam |
| la multa | the fine |
| el cinturón | the seat belt |
| conducir | to drive |
| aparcar | to park |
The phrases you will actually say
Worth knowing
You cannot simply book a test in Spain. The licence goes through la autoescuela, a registered driving school that enters you for the theory exam and then the practical one, and the whole process is commonly described as sacarse el carné; it is expensive and slow compared with much of northern Europe. If you pass in an automatic, the licence is restricted to automatics, which is one reason most learners still take the test in a manual car. Drink-driving limits are low, 0,5 grams per litre in blood for most drivers and 0,3 for novice and professional drivers. The vocabulary splits by region: Spain says conducir, aparcar and el coche, while much of Latin America says manejar, estacionar or parquear, and el carro or el auto. On a roundabout, remember that traffic already on it has priority.
Practice
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Which verb means "to park" in Spain?