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tonelada

ton

noun toh-neh-LAH-dah Less Common
Numbers & Measures Measurements

Usage Note

Tonelada refers to the metric tonne (1,000 kg), which is the standard in Spanish-speaking countries. The phrase tonelada métrica is used when precision is needed. Colloquially, una tonelada de is used hyperbolically to mean 'a huge amount of,' like English 'a ton of': tengo una tonelada de trabajo ('I have a ton of work'). The plural is regular: toneladas.

Examples

"El camión cargaba cinco toneladas de fruta."

Natural Translation

The truck was carrying five tons of fruit.

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