Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Bridge in Spanish: Puente
Puente · noun (masculine) · PWEN-teh
Puente is the standard Spanish word for bridge, covering everything from physical structures over rivers to figurative uses like a long weekend (hacer puente). It is masculine: el puente.
PWEN-teh — two syllables. The ue diphthong sounds like 'weh' and the stress falls on the first syllable.
Cruzamos el puente para llegar al otro lado del río.
We crossed the bridge to reach the other side of the river.
Bridge in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for bridge, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| puente | bridge | PWEN-teh | Default, widely understood |
| puente peatonal | bridge | universal (pedestrian bridge / overpass) | |
| pasarela | bridge | universal (footbridge, catwalk) |
How Native Speakers Use Puente
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Physical structure
El puente colgante tiene más de cien años.
The suspension bridge is over a hundred years old.
Puente colgante is the term for a suspension bridge.
Long weekend idiom
Este jueves es festivo, así que haremos puente el viernes.
This Thursday is a holiday, so we'll take a long weekend on Friday.
Hacer puente means to bridge a workday between a holiday and a weekend, creating a longer break.
Figurative use
La música es un puente entre culturas.
Music is a bridge between cultures.
Puente works figuratively just like in English to describe connections.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Puente
Wrong gender
Incorrect: La puente está cerrada.
Correct: El puente está cerrado.
Puente is masculine (el puente), so articles and adjectives must agree: el puente cerrado, not la puente cerrada.
Confusing puente with puerto
Incorrect: Cruzamos el puerto para ir al otro lado.
Correct: Cruzamos el puente para ir al otro lado.
Puerto means port or mountain pass, not bridge. The two words look similar but have completely different meanings.
Lock in Bridge Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Puente used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using puente in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Cruzamos el puente para llegar al otro lado del río. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Bridge in Spanish
- How do you say bridge in Spanish?
- Bridge in Spanish is puente (PWEN-teh). It is a masculine noun: el puente. It covers physical bridges as well as the idiomatic long weekend meaning (hacer puente).
- What does 'hacer puente' mean?
- Hacer puente means to take a day off between a public holiday and the weekend to create a longer break. It is extremely common in Spain and widely understood throughout Latin America.
- Is puente masculine or feminine?
- Puente is masculine: el puente. Despite ending in -e (which can go either way), it follows the masculine pattern. Some speakers in certain regions historically said la puente, but modern standard Spanish uses el puente exclusively.