Volume and capacity vocabulary in Spanish, including units and expressions for measuring and describing how much space something holds.

Understanding how to talk about volume and capacity in Spanish helps you describe quantities, sizes, and amounts in everyday situations. This includes using the right units and key expressions.

Units of Volume

Here are the most common Spanish units for measuring volume, along with example sentences.

Spanish Singular	Spanish Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Spanish Example	English Example
litro	litros	liter	liters	Necesito un litro de leche.	I need a liter of milk.
mililitro	mililitros	milliliter	milliliters	Hay 50 mililitros en esta botella.	There are 50 milliliters in this bottle.
centímetro cúbico	centímetros cúbicos	cubic centimeter	cubic centimeters	El tanque tiene 500 centímetros cúbicos.	The tank has 500 cubic centimeters.
metro cúbico	metros cúbicos	cubic meter	cubic meters	La piscina mide dos metros cúbicos.	The pool measures two cubic meters.
galón	galones	gallon	gallons	Compramos un galón de agua.	We bought a gallon of water.

Hay 50 ___ en esta botella.

How do you say 'milliliters' in Spanish?

litros

mililitros

galones

metros cúbicos

mililitros

'Mililitros' is the plural form of milliliters in Spanish. 'Litros' means liters, 'galones' means gallons, and 'metros cúbicos' means cubic meters.

Containers and Capacity

These are common containers and how you express their capacity in Spanish.

Spanish Singular	Spanish Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Spanish Example	English Example
botella	botellas	bottle	bottles	La botella tiene un litro.	The bottle has one liter.
vaso	vasos	glass	glasses	Llena el vaso con agua.	Fill the glass with water.
taza	tazas	cup	cups	Quiero una taza de té.	I want a cup of tea.
jarra	jarras	pitcher	pitchers	La jarra contiene dos litros.	The pitcher holds two liters.
cubeta	cubetas	bucket	buckets	La cubeta está llena de agua.	The bucket is full of water.

Llena el ___ con agua.

How do you say 'glass' in Spanish?

taza

vaso

botella

jarra

vaso

'Vaso' means glass. 'Taza' is cup, 'botella' is bottle, and 'jarra' is pitcher.

Measuring and Describing Volume

These verbs and expressions are used to talk about measuring, filling, and describing volume.

Spanish Singular	Spanish Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Spanish Example	English Example
medir	medir	to measure	to measure	Necesito medir el volumen del recipiente.	I need to measure the container's volume.
llenar	llenar	to fill	to fill	Llena la botella hasta arriba.	Fill the bottle to the top.
vaciar	vaciar	to empty	to empty	Vacía el vaso, por favor.	Please empty the glass.
contener	contener	to contain	to contain	Esta caja contiene tres litros.	This box contains three liters.
caber	caber	to fit	to fit	¿Caben cinco vasos en la caja?	Do five glasses fit in the box?

Volume Expressions

These common expressions help you talk about volume and capacity more naturally in Spanish.

Spanish Singular	Spanish Plural	English Singular	English Plural	Spanish Example	English Example
capacidad	capacidades	capacity	capacities	La capacidad del tanque es de 100 litros.	The tank's capacity is 100 liters.
lleno	llenos / llena / llenas	full	full	El recipiente está lleno.	The container is full.
vacío	vacíos / vacía / vacías	empty	empty	El vaso está vacío.	The glass is empty.
mitad	mitades	half	halves	Llena la botella hasta la mitad.	Fill the bottle halfway.
aproximadamente	approximately	Hay aproximadamente un litro aquí.	There's approximately one liter here.

Flashcards (1 of 20)

English Singular: liter
English Plural: liters
English Example: I need a liter of milk.

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Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025

Spanish