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Last updated Oct 9, 2025 • Reading time: 6 minutes
Are you familiar with how to discuss measurements in Spanish? Countless things in the world can be measured, spanning various categories such as physical quantities, time, information, and more. Essentially, almost anything that can be quantified or compared can be measured in some way. However, in this article, we'll be focusing on a select few units of measurement that are commonly used in everyday life and scientific contexts.
We will also explore the differences between the metric and imperial systems used in Spanish-speaking countries and the US, respectively. To wrap things up, you'll have the opportunity to test your knowledge with a fun quiz.
Ready to dive in? ¡Vamos!
Metric System vs Imperial units
The metric system and the imperial system are two distinct measurement systems. The metric system is more commonly used worldwide, including Spain and Latin America, while the imperial system is more traditional and limited to countries like the U.S., Myanmar, and Liberia. Interestingly, although the Imperial System originated in the UK and its empire in 1826, the UK has since adopted the metric system.
Let’s take a look at some common terms used to measure length, volume, weight, surface area, and temperature:
Length - Longitud
Metric system:
el centímetro: centimeter
el kilómetro: kilometer
el metro: meter
el milímetro: millimeter
La serpiente medía aproximadamente 2 centímetros de diámetro.
(The snake measured approximately 2 centimeters in diameter.)
Imperial System:
la milla: mile
el pie: foot
los pies: feet
la pulgada: inch
la yarda: yard
Fun fact! Although the Metric System is globally used, when talking about the size of a computer or TV screen, inches are normally used: Mi nueva televisión tiene una pantalla de 65 pulgadas. (My new television has a 65-inch screen.)
Surface area - Unidad de superficie
el acre: acre
el centímetro cuadrado: square centimeter
la hectárea: hectare
el kilómetro cuadrado: square kilometer
el metro cuadrado: square meter
el milímetro cuadrado: square millimeter
Mi nuevo apartamento tiene un tamaño de 70 metros cuadrados.
(My new apartment is 70 square meters.)
Volume - Volumen
Metric System:
el centilitro: centiliter
el centímetro cúbico: cubic centimeter
el decímetro cúbico: cubic decimeter
el litro: liter
el metro cúbico: cubic meter
el mililitro: milliliter
Es importante beber al menos 2 litros de agua al día para mantenerse hidratado.
(It's important to drink at least 2 liters of water a day to stay hydrated.)
Imperial System:
el cuarto de galón: quart
la cucharada: tablespoon
la cucharadita: teaspoon
el galón: gallon
el pie cúbico: cubic foot
la pinta: pint
la pulgada cúbica: cubic inch
la yarda cúbica: cubic yard
Agregue una cucharadita de sal a la sopa para darle más sabor.
(Add a teaspoon of salt to the soup to give it more flavor.)
Weight - Peso
Metric System:
el centigramo: centigram
el decagramo: decagram
el decigramo: decigram
el gramo: gram
el hectogramo: hectogram
el kilogramo: kilogram
el miligramo: milligram
la tonelada: ton
Para preparar arroz blanco, utiliza 200 gramos de arroz y 400 mililitros de agua.
(To prepare white rice, use 200 grams of rice and 400 milliliters of water.)
¡Ojo! Although related, masa (mass) and peso (weight) are not the same thing! Mass is the amount of matter an object contains, while weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity.
Imperial System:
la libra: pound
la onza: ounce
El recién nacido pesó siete libras y ocho onzas.
(The newborn baby weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces.)
Temperature - Temperatura
el grado Centígrado: degree Celsius
el grado Fahrenheit: degree Fahrenheit
En verano, las temperaturas en España suelen ser muy altas, a menudo superando los 35 grados centígrados.
(In summer, temperatures in Spain are usually very high, often exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.)
Fun fact! The Fahrenheit scale, proposed by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in 1724, is a temperature scale using degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as the unit, with 0 °F defined as the freezing point of a brine solution and the upper limit initially set at the average human body temperature.
Other units of measurement
Let’s take a look at some other units of measurement. While some of these units might not be a part of your everyday life, it's always beneficial to have a diverse knowledge base. Let's discover some of these lesser-used units, as you never know when they could come in handy!
Electric current: Corriente eléctrica
An electric current is the flow of electricity in an electronic circuit, and the amount of electricity flowing through a circuit. It is measured in amperes (A), amperios in Spanish.
Un enchufe doméstico típico puede manejar una corriente de 15 amperios.
(A typical domestic outlet can handle a current of 15 amperes.)
Luminous intensity - Intensidad luminosa
Luminous intensity is the amount of light a light source emits in a particular direction per unit solid angle. The candela is an SI base unit for luminous intensity. In Spanish, also called candela.
Una vela típica emite alrededor de 1 candela de luz.
(A typical candle emits about 1 candela of light.)
Fun Fact! Not only is Candela a unit of measurement for luminous intensity, but it's also a beautiful and unique name given to girls, particularly in Spanish and Italian cultures.
Energy - Energía
The quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system is called energy. The law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form, but not created or destroyed. The unit of measurement for energy in the International System of Units (SI) is the joule (J) or julio (yes, like the month!) in Spanish.
Una bicicleta que viaja a una velocidad de 10 km/h gasta aproximadamente 100 julios por segundo.
(A bicycle traveling at a speed of 10 km/h uses about 100 joules per second.)
Pressure - Presión
Pressure is the amount of force applied per unit area. The SI unit for pressure is the pascal (Pa), equal to one newton per square meter (N/m^2).
La presión atmosférica a nivel del mar es aproximadamente 101.325 pascales.
(The atmospheric pressure at sea level is approximately 101,325 pascals.)
Conclusion
¡Enhorabuena! You made it to the end! It was a lot of information to take in, but hopefully you enjoyed it and learned something new about the different units of measurement in the Spanish-speaking world. Now that you are equipped with more knowledge, you can practice what you learned with the following activities.
Quiz
Read the following terms and indicate if they belong to el sistema métrico or el sistema anglosajón de unidades/sistema imperial
Milímetros
Yardas
Pulgadas
Kilómetros
Millas
**********************
Answer Key:
sistema métrico
sistema imperial
sistema imperial
sistema métrico
sistema imperial
Match the different units of measurement with the system they belong to
Energía
Presión
Corriente eléctrica
Intensidad luminosa
Unidad de superficie
A. Amperios
B. Julios
C. Metro cuadrado
D. Pascal
E. Candela
**********************
Answer Key:
B
D
A
E
C
Pick the unit of measurements you would use for the following
Para cocinar
Para la temperatura
Para cortar el pelo en la peluquería
Una televisión
Altura de una persona
A. Metros
B. Centímetros
C. Grados centígrados
D. Cucharada
E. Pulgadas
**********************
Answer Key:
D
C
B
E
A
Alicia Fernández
Alicia Fernández is a content writer at Berges Institute.
Who are we?
We are a Spanish language school that offers traditional, grammar-intensive live Spanish classes.
Learn more