What does “patente” mean in Chilean Spanish?
Conductor en La Pintana con 320 multas impagas
B2 Spanish listening practice · Chilean Spanish · Picked for people who know more
This Chilean news report describes a car “sin patente delantera ni trasera,” with no front or rear patente. For a Spanish learner that’s a friendly trap: in Chile and Argentina patente means licence plate, not “patent.” In Spain you’d say matrícula, and in Mexico placas. Same language, three different words for the same thing.
The clip is a goldmine of Chilean officialese: fiscalización (an enforcement operation), permiso de circulación and revisión técnica (the documents a car needs), multas impagas (unpaid fines), and carabinero (a Chilean police officer). Picking up patente unlocks the rest of this very Chilean news vocabulary.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this B2 Spanish listening practice video?
How common in written Spanish
How common in spoken Spanish
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than B2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Chilean news on outlets like Meganoticias and Mega
- ▸During a fiscalización (roadside vehicle check) by Carabineros
- ▸On Chilean car paperwork: permiso de circulación, revisión técnica
- ▸In Southern Cone conversation about traffic and multas (fines)
- ▸Anywhere Chileans or Argentines talk about cars