Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Television in Spanish: Televisión
Televisión · noun · teh-leh-bee-SYOHN
Televisión is the Spanish cognate for television, making it one of the easiest words for English speakers to recognize and remember. In casual speech, it shortens to tele, and the physical TV set itself is a televisor. The abbreviation TV (pronounced teh-BEH) is also widely used in both languages.
Say teh-leh-bee-SYOHN, stressing the final syllable. The v is pronounced like a soft b in Spanish, and the accent falls on the -ión ending.
Vamos a ver la televisión un rato después de cenar.
Let's watch television for a while after dinner.
Television in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for television, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| televisión | television | teh-leh-bee-SYOHN | Default, widely understood |
| tele | television | informal shorthand used everywhere | |
| televisor | television | the physical TV set (hardware) |
How Native Speakers Use Televisión
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Watching TV at home
Los fines de semana me gusta ver la tele con mi familia.
On weekends I like to watch TV with my family.
Tele is the informal shortening of televisión, used universally in casual speech.
Buying a new TV set
Compramos un televisor nuevo de cincuenta pulgadas para la sala.
We bought a new fifty-inch TV set for the living room.
Televisor refers specifically to the physical television device or screen.
Discussing a TV show
¿Viste el programa de anoche en televisión? Estuvo muy bueno.
Did you see last night's show on television? It was really good.
Televisión is used when referring to the medium or broadcasting system.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Televisión
Confusing televisión with televisor
Incorrect: Necesito colgar la televisión en la pared.
Correct: Necesito colgar el televisor en la pared.
When you are referring to the physical device (the screen you mount), the correct word is televisor. Televisión refers to the broadcast medium or the activity of watching TV, not the hardware.
Pronouncing the v as a hard English v
Incorrect: teh-leh-VEE-zhun
Correct: teh-leh-bee-SYOHN
Spanish does not have the English v sound. The v in televisión sounds like a soft b. Also, the ending is -SYOHN (like the Spanish suffix -ción), not -zhun.
Lock in Television 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 Televisión used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using televisión in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Vamos a ver la televisión un rato después de cenar. 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 Television in Spanish
- How do you say television in Spanish?
- Television in Spanish is televisión, a near-perfect cognate. Casually, people say tele, and the physical TV unit is called a televisor. The abbreviation TV is pronounced teh-BEH in Spanish.
- What is the difference between televisión and televisor?
- Televisión is the medium (broadcast television, the act of watching TV). Televisor is the appliance (the screen, the hardware). You watch televisión on a televisor, just like you listen to radio on a radio.
- How do you say TV show in Spanish?
- A TV show is a programa de televisión or simply un programa. A TV series is a serie de televisión or just una serie. Telenovela specifically refers to a Latin American soap opera and is a distinct genre.