Carnival - Carnaval
Beginner Spanish · Carnaval
Carnaval in Spanish
Carnaval Spanish becomes useful when you can talk about costumes, masks, music, dancing, parades, and decorated floats, then ask when and where the main events take place.
Your next small win: describe what you see at Carnaval, talk about what you plan to do, ask when the parade starts, and ask where to see the floats or dance.
Start with the celebration
Core Carnaval Vocabulary
These words cover some of the most recognizable parts of Carnaval celebrations.
Carnival
Costume
Mask
Parade
Parade float
Confetti
Name four Carnaval words
Say “costume, mask, parade, and float” in Spanish.
Disfraz, máscara, desfile y carroza.
More Carnaval vocabulary
Drums
Crowd
Carnival troupe / musical group
Rhythm
Dance
Fireworks
Talk about what people do
Dancing, Costumes, and Music
A few useful verbs let you describe common Carnaval activities.
To dance
To dress up / wear a costume
To wear a mask
To watch the parade
To listen to music
To celebrate
People dance in the streets.
Many people wear costumes and masks.
Everyone dances to the rhythm of the music.
There is confetti everywhere.
La gente is singular: although it means “people,” Spanish uses a singular verb: La gente baila.
Describe the celebration
Say that people dance in the streets and that many people wear costumes and masks.
La gente baila en las calles.
Muchas personas llevan disfraces y máscaras.
Follow the parade
Floats, Drums, and the Desfile
The parade is a useful setting for practicing location, time, and description.
The parade goes through the city center.
The drums sound throughout the city.
The floats are decorated with many colors.
A large crowd gathers to watch the parade.
What time does the parade start?
Where can we see the floats?
Going to the Carnaval parade
Are you going to watch the Carnaval parade?
Yes, I want to see the floats.
What time does it start?
It starts at seven in the evening.
Plan to watch the parade
Ask whether someone is going to watch the parade, then ask what time it starts.
¿Vas a ver el desfile de Carnaval?
¿A qué hora empieza el desfile?
Make a Carnaval plan
Ir a + Infinitive
Use ir a + infinitive to talk about what you plan to do during Carnaval.
I'm going to watch the parade.
I'm going to wear a costume.
Are you going to wear a mask?
Where can we dance?
What kind of music do they play?
When does Carnaval start?
Useful pattern: voy a means “I'm going to,” while vas a means “you're going to.” Follow either form with an infinitive such as ver, llevar, or bailar.
Make your Carnaval plan
Say that you are going to watch the parade and wear a costume, then ask where you can dance.
Voy a ver el desfile.
Voy a llevar un disfraz.
¿Dónde podemos bailar?
Cultural context
Carnaval is celebrated in many parts of the Spanish-speaking world, but customs vary widely by place. Celebrations may include parades, costumes, dancing, music, decorated floats, and other festivities.
The celebration has historical connections with the period before Cuaresma, or Lent, in the Christian calendar. Modern Carnaval celebrations can also reflect local history, music, dance, and cultural traditions.
Remember: dates, music, clothing, parade styles, and other customs can differ greatly from one Carnaval celebration to another.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Carnaval
Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on costumes, masks, parades, floats, dancing, music, and plans.
Practice complete
You can talk about Carnaval plans and parades in Spanish.
A few Carnaval phrases to revisit
One last step: make a Carnaval plan without choices.
Say that you are going to wear a costume, ask when the parade starts, ask where to see the floats, and say where you want to dance.
Voy a llevar un disfraz.
¿A qué hora empieza el desfile?
¿Dónde podemos ver las carrozas?
Quiero bailar en las calles.
Audio uses your device's Spanish text-to-speech voice. Listen to each phrase, then practice describing Carnaval, making plans, and asking about the parade.
Which Spanish word means “costume”?
- disfraz
- máscara
- carroza
- comparsa
Disfraz means “costume.”
disfraz = costume
Which Spanish word means “parade float”?
- carroza
- desfile
- tambor
- máscara
Carroza means a decorated float in a parade.
carroza = parade float
You want to ask whether someone is going to watch the Carnaval parade. What do you ask?
- ¿Vas a ver el desfile de Carnaval?
- ¿Vas a llevar un disfraz?
- ¿Vas a escuchar los tambores?
- ¿Vas a bailar en las calles?
Ver el desfile means “to watch the parade.”
¿Vas a ver el desfile de Carnaval?
You want to ask what time the parade starts. What do you ask?
- ¿A qué hora empieza el desfile?
- ¿Dónde pasa el desfile?
- ¿Qué música tocan en el desfile?
- ¿Cuándo termina el Carnaval?
¿A qué hora empieza...? asks for a specific start time.
¿A qué hora empieza el desfile?
You are going to wear a costume. Which sentence fits?
- Voy a llevar un disfraz.
- Voy a ver una carroza.
- Voy a escuchar los tambores.
- Voy a bailar en la calle.
Llevar un disfraz means “to wear a costume.”
Voy a llevar un disfraz.
You want to ask where you can see the parade floats. What do you ask?
- ¿Dónde podemos ver las carrozas?
- ¿Dónde podemos llevar las máscaras?
- ¿Dónde podemos escuchar el desfile?
- ¿Dónde podemos celebrar el confeti?
¿Dónde podemos ver las carrozas? means “Where can we see the floats?”
¿Dónde podemos ver las carrozas?
People dance in the streets. Which sentence fits?
- La gente baila en las calles.
- La gente mira las calles.
- La gente decora las calles.
- La gente escucha las calles.
La gente baila en las calles means “People dance in the streets.”
La gente baila en las calles.
You want to ask what kind of music they play. What do you ask?
- ¿Qué tipo de música tocan?
- ¿Dónde escuchan la música?
- ¿Cuándo empieza la música?
- ¿Quién baila con la música?
¿Qué tipo de música tocan? asks what kind of music the performers play.
¿Qué tipo de música tocan?