Measure Words in Spanish || What Are Those & How to Use?

Q: What are some measure words in Spanish?

Common measure words include kilo (kilogram), litro (liter), metro (meter), and docena (dozen).

SPANISH MEASURE WORDS

Measure words express quantities or units, whether they be countable (three kilometers) or uncountable things (a kilogram of sugar).

Measure words in Spanish contain two elements that reference a noun that is being represented: numeral (numeral) + unidad de medida (unit of measurement).

TYPES OF MEASURE WORDS

We categorize measure words based on what they measure, the most common units of measure being:

spanish name	english name
Tiempo	Time
Cantidad	Quantity
Distancia	Distance
Volumen	Volume
Peso	Weight

FOR TIME

Measure words for time in Spanish such as semanas (weeks), días (days), horas (hours), and minutos (minutes) are used to indicate periods, durations, or specific moments, like for example, Tres días de buen tiempo (three days of good weather).

Segundo – Faltan veinte segundos.	Second – There are twenty seconds left.
Minuto – Espera cinco minutos.	Minutes – Wait for five minutes.
Hora – Llego en una hora.	Hour – I’ll arrive in one hour.
Día – Me quedan cuatro días libres.	Days – I have four days off left.
Semana – Dentro de seis semanas acabo el curso.	Weeks – In six weeks I will finish the course.
Mes – Me tomo tres meses de descanso.	Month – I am taking three months of rest.

FOR QUANTITY

Measure words for quantity in Spanish such as docena (dozen), gramo (gram), taza (cup), and litro (liter) are used to specify amounts of countable or uncountable nouns, like for example, una cucharada de azúcar (one tablespoon of sugar).

Docena – Una docena de huevos	Dozen – A dozen eggs
Litro – Tres litros de leche	Liter – Three liters of milk
Taza – Una taza de harina	Cup – A cup of flour
Botella – Una botella de agua	Bottle – A bottle of water
Kilo – Seis kilos de comida	Kilos – Six kilos of food
Barra – Una barra de mantequilla	Bar – A bar of butter

FOR DISTANCE

Measure words for distance in Spanish such as metro (meter), kilómetro (kilometer), centímetro (centimeter), and pulgada (inch) are used to indicate the length, distance, or space between two points, like for example, cien metros de distancia (one hundred meters distance).

Metro – La pared mide dos metros.	Meter – The wall is two meters high.
Kilómetro – El pueblo está a treinta kilómetros de distancia.	Kilometer – The town is at a thirty kilometer distance.
Centímetro – La silla tiene sesenta y cinco centímetros de altura.	Centimeter – The chair has a height of sisty-five centimeters.
Pulgada – El cartel es de veinte pulgadas.	Inch – The signage is twenty inches.
Milla – Corro tres millas al día.	Mile – I run three miles a day.
Paso – La farmacia está a cien pasos de aquí.	Steps – The pharmacy is a hundred steps from here.

FOR WEIGHT

Measure words for weight in Spanish such as kilo (kilogram), gramo (grams), miligramo (milligram), and libra (pound) are used to indicate the heaviness or lightness of something, like for example, diez kilos de patatas (ten kilograms of potatoes).

Kilo – Cincuenta kilos de maíz	Kilo/Kilogram – Fifty kilos of corn
Gramo – Ciento cincueta gramos de azúcar.	Gram – One hundred fifty grams of sugar
Miligramo – Sesenta miligramos de dosis	Milligram – Dosage of sixty milligrams
Tonelada – Mil toneladas de carga	Ton – One thousand tons of cargo
Libra – Quince libras de carne	Pound – Fifteen pounds of meat
Onza – Tres onzas de plata	Ounce – Three ounces of silver

FOR VOLUME

Volume words for distance in Spanish such as litro (liter), botella (bottle), tanque (tank), and galón (gallon) are used to indicate the amount of space a liquid or gas occupies, like for example, dos tanques de aire (two tanks of air).

Litro – Cinco litros de agua mineral	Liter – Five liters of mineral water
Mililitros – Cien mililitros de aceite	Milliliters – One hundred milliliters of oil
Botella – Doce botellas de vino	Bottle – Twelve bottles of wine
Vaso – Un vaso de zumo	Glass – A glass of juice
Taza – Dos tazas de café	Cup – Two cups of coffee
Galón – Ocho galones de gasolina	Gallon – Eight gallons of gasoline

USE & GRAMMAR

Measure words in Spanish are followed by de (of) when used to indicate something that is represented by a noun, like for example, quinientos gramos de café (five hundred grams of coffee).

Also, measure words in Spanish are generally written in lower case, like for example, gramo (gram), metro (meter), centímetro (centimeter).

PATTERN

Measure word + de + noun

NOTE || As in the above structure, measure words in Spanish are normally written in lower case, except for those with their origin in proper names, such as N symbolizing newton (from Isaac Newton), W symbolizing vatio / watt (from Isaac Watt).

Also, it is incorrect to use abbreviated symbols if the quantity they are expressing is in words. Meaning, that the correct combination is to combine symbols with digits, on the one hand, and written numerals with the full measure word, on the other hand. For example:

✅ Correct: 15 kg / quince kilos (fifteen kilograms)
⛔️ Incorrect: 15 kilos / quince kg

Cada vez que voy a la consulta del médico, me toca una hora de espera.	Every time I go to the doctor’s office, I have an hour of waiting time.
La temporada de verano es de cuatro meses.	The summer season is four months long.
He comprado una docena de huevos para la tortilla.	I bought a dozen eggs for the omelet.
La receta requiere un litro de leche.	The recipe requires a liter of milk.
La carrera es de doscientos metros.	The race is two hundred meters.
Mi casa está a tres kilómetros de distancia.	My house is at a three kilometer distance.
Necesito cuatro kilos de tomates para la salsa.	I need three kilograms of tomatoes for the sauce.
Tomo un gramo de vitamina C al día.	I take a gram of vitamin C a day.
Para la cena, trae por favor una botella de vino tinto.	For the dinner, please bring a bottle of red wine.
Bebo dos litros de agua a diario.	I drink two liters of water daily.

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FAQs

What are measure words in Spanish?

Measure words are used to quantify or specify the amount of something, often referring to units of measure, such as weight, volume, or quantity.

What are some measure words in Spanish?

Common measure words include kilo (kilogram), litro (liter), metro (meter), and docena (dozen).

How to use measure words with nouns?

Measure words are followed by de (of) and the noun they are quantifying, for example, un kilo de manzanas (“a kilo of apples”).

Do measure words agree with gender & nouns?

Measure words themselves do not change, but the accompanying noun must agree in gender and number. For example, un litro de agua (“a liter of water”) vs. dos litros de leche (“two liters of milk”).

Can measure words be use with uncountable words?

Yes, measure words can be used with both countable nouns (e.g., una docena de huevos – “a dozen eggs”) and uncountable nouns (e.g., un litro de aceite – “a liter of oil”).

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