Spanish Bathroom Vocabulary Exercise 1

Bathroom essentials — la cortina (shower curtain), la tina (bathtub — Latin America; la bañera in Spain), la toalla (towel), el lavabo (sink), el jabón (soap), el cepillo (brush), la pasta (toothpaste — short for pasta dental), el papel (toilet paper), el espejo (mirror), el toallero (towel rail).

Regional vocabulary — La tina (bathtub) is common in Mexico and Latin America; la bañera is preferred in Spain. Similarly, el lavabo (Spain) vs. el lavamanos (Latin America) for the sink. El retrete / el inodoro (toilet) vs. el baño which informally refers to the whole room. Knowing these variants helps across all Spanish-speaking regions.

Bathroom phrases — ¿Puedo usar el baño? (Can I use the bathroom?). Se acabó el jabón (The soap ran out). Necesito una toalla limpia (I need a clean towel). ¿Dónde está el papel higiénico? (Where is the toilet paper?). El espejo está empañado (The mirror is steamed up — after a shower).