Skip to content

auto

car, automobile

noun OW-toh Less Common
Travel & Places Transportation

Origin: Shortening of automóvil, from Greek autos (self) + Latin mobilis (movable).

Usage Note

Auto is the standard everyday word for 'car' in much of Latin America (Argentina, Chile, etc.), where carro and coche are also used regionally. In Spain, coche is most common. Auto is also a prefix in many compound words (autobús, autopista).

Examples

"Dejé el auto en el estacionamiento."

Natural Translation

I left the car in the parking lot.

Explore Spanish by topic