Usage Note
Hidrocarburo is the technical term for a compound consisting of only hydrogen and carbon atoms; it covers fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal derivatives. In news Spanish it is often used in the plural (hidrocarburos) to mean fossil fuels collectively.
Examples
"El petróleo es un hidrocarburo de origen orgánico."
Natural Translation
Petroleum is a hydrocarbon of organic origin.

Free starter pack
Building your Spanish vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic