Jun 21, 2023 23:45
12 mos ago
31 viewers *
Spanish term
Automóvil o automotor
Spanish to English
Tech/Engineering
Automotive / Cars & Trucks
Argentine driver licence specifying automotor got me wondering what the difference is between auto, automotor and automóvil (they all sound like cars to me). But then investigating further I realised I don't know what the differences are in English either.
So far I've come up with:
automotor = motor vehicle (broadest category, includes passenger vehicles, cargo vehicles and motorcycles)
automóvil = automobile (subset, primarily passenger vehicles, excludes motorcycles but includes pickup trucks and SUVs)
auto = car (Argentina)
coche = car (Spain/Mexico)
carro = car (LatAm)
Am I on the right track? I think there may be a difference based on commercial/private use as well, but I can't quite get my head around it. They are used as synonyms so frequently in both languages that it's hard to research, and there may be subtle differences that are only in one language but not the other. I understand that auto is an abbreviation for automóvil, but I'm also accustomed to seeing Argentine driver licences making a distinction between autos, utilitarios and camionetas.
So far I've come up with:
automotor = motor vehicle (broadest category, includes passenger vehicles, cargo vehicles and motorcycles)
automóvil = automobile (subset, primarily passenger vehicles, excludes motorcycles but includes pickup trucks and SUVs)
auto = car (Argentina)
coche = car (Spain/Mexico)
carro = car (LatAm)
Am I on the right track? I think there may be a difference based on commercial/private use as well, but I can't quite get my head around it. They are used as synonyms so frequently in both languages that it's hard to research, and there may be subtle differences that are only in one language but not the other. I understand that auto is an abbreviation for automóvil, but I'm also accustomed to seeing Argentine driver licences making a distinction between autos, utilitarios and camionetas.
Reference comments
12 mins
Jennifer Levey
Chile
Chile
Native in English
Chile
Human-scale Globalization
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
43
Reference:
automóvil (specific) = one class of 'automotor' (generic)
https://www.kavak.com/ar/blog/guia-kavak-todo-acerca-de-los-...
Clase A - Ciclomotores, motocicletas, triciclos y cuatriciclos con y sin cabina. Esta categoría va de la subclase A.1.1 a la subclase A.3.
Clase B - Automóviles, camionetas, utilitarios, vans de uso privado y casas rodantes motorizadas. En esta categoría encontramos solo dos subclases B1 y B2.
Clase C - Camiones sin acoplado, semiacoplado, ni articulado y vehículos o casa rodante motorizada. Acá figuran las subclases C1, C2 y C3.
Clase D - Automotores para servicios de transporte de pasajeros. Estas son las denominadas licencias de conducir de tipo profesional. Van de la D1 a la D4.
Clase E - Automotores de clase C o D, con uno o más remolques o articulaciones y maquinaria especial no agrícola. Incluye E1 y E2.
Clase F - Esta licencia es para los vehículos automotores adaptados a la condición física de su titular.
Clase G - Vehículos agrícolas. Este tipo de licencias de conducir van de la subclase G1 a la G3
Clase A - Ciclomotores, motocicletas, triciclos y cuatriciclos con y sin cabina. Esta categoría va de la subclase A.1.1 a la subclase A.3.
Clase B - Automóviles, camionetas, utilitarios, vans de uso privado y casas rodantes motorizadas. En esta categoría encontramos solo dos subclases B1 y B2.
Clase C - Camiones sin acoplado, semiacoplado, ni articulado y vehículos o casa rodante motorizada. Acá figuran las subclases C1, C2 y C3.
Clase D - Automotores para servicios de transporte de pasajeros. Estas son las denominadas licencias de conducir de tipo profesional. Van de la D1 a la D4.
Clase E - Automotores de clase C o D, con uno o más remolques o articulaciones y maquinaria especial no agrícola. Incluye E1 y E2.
Clase F - Esta licencia es para los vehículos automotores adaptados a la condición física de su titular.
Clase G - Vehículos agrícolas. Este tipo de licencias de conducir van de la subclase G1 a la G3
Note from asker:
| Thanks Jennifer et al. Yes, that's exactly the situation that I was referring to, when both automotor and automóvil appear on the same page, and I'm trying to differentiate between them in English. I've always thought of them as relatively interchangeable. Still not sure if automobile is one class of motor vehicle, and am even less sure of the difference between a motor vehicle and a motorised vehicle. But that's locking in my sense of the Spanish meaning at least. Cheers. |
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