Spanish Weights And Measures: 50+ Easy Words And Real-Life Examples

Learn the everyday Spanish you need for markets, recipes, height, distance, size, and all those moments when your brain still wants to think in pounds and inches. Rude, but fixable.

The first time I bought cheese in a Mexico City market, the vendor asked, “¿Medio kilo o un kilo?” and my brain immediately tried to convert everything into pounds. By the time I finished the math, she was already helping the next customer. Elegant? No. Memorable? Very.

This guide teaches Spanish the way you actually use it: asking for food by weight, following recipes, describing dimensions, talking about distance, and reading sizes without standing there like a confused toaster. The examples use everyday Mexican Spanish, while also pointing out the measurement words you will still meet in U.S. or imported contexts.

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Quantity + de + noun = medio kilo de tortillas — half a kilo of tortillas.
pesar + number = La maleta pesa 23 kilos — The suitcase weighs 23 kilos.
medir + number + de largo / de ancho / de alto = La mesa mide 1 metro de ancho — The table measures 1 meter wide.
estar a + distance / time = La tienda está a dos cuadras — The store is two blocks away.
unit + cuadrado(s) = 70 metros cuadrados — 70 square meters.

Quick Start Cards

un kilo

English: a kilo, a kilogram
Example: Quiero un kilo de jitomate. — I want a kilo of tomatoes.

un litro

English: a liter
Example: Necesito un litro de leche. — I need a liter of milk.

un metro

English: a meter
Example: La tela mide un metro de ancho. — The fabric measures one meter wide.

un centímetro

English: a centimeter
Example: Le faltan dos centímetros al dobladillo. — The hem is missing two centimeters.

medio kilo

English: half a kilo
Example: Dame medio kilo de tortillas, por favor. — Give me half a kilo of tortillas, please.

una cucharadita

English: a teaspoon
Example: Agrega una cucharadita de vainilla. — Add a teaspoon of vanilla.

una pulgada

English: an inch
Example: La pantalla es de 55 pulgadas. — The screen is 55 inches.

pesar

English: to weigh
Example: La mochila pesa mucho. — The backpack weighs a lot.

Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

¿Cuánto pesa? — How much does it weigh?
¿Cuánto pesa la maleta vacía? — How much does the empty suitcase weigh?
¿Cuánto mide? — How big is it? / What are its dimensions?
¿Cuánto mide el refrigerador? — How big is the refrigerator?
Mide dos metros de largo. — It measures two meters long.
La mesa mide dos metros de largo. — The table is two meters long.
Tiene 80 centímetros de ancho. — It is 80 centimeters wide.
La puerta tiene 80 centímetros de ancho. — The door is 80 centimeters wide.
Quiero medio kilo de queso. — I want half a kilo of cheese.
En el mercado, quiero medio kilo de queso Oaxaca. — At the market, I want half a kilo of Oaxaca cheese.
Dame un litro de leche. — Give me a liter of milk.
En la tienda, dame un litro de leche deslactosada. — At the store, give me a liter of lactose-free milk.
Agrega una cucharadita de sal. — Add a teaspoon of salt.
Primero agrega una cucharadita de sal a la sopa. — First add a teaspoon of salt to the soup.
Está a cinco kilómetros. — It is five kilometers away.
El pueblo está a cinco kilómetros de aquí. — The town is five kilometers from here.
La botella tiene 600 mililitros. — The bottle has 600 milliliters.
Esta botella tiene 600 mililitros de agua. — This bottle has 600 milliliters of water.
La pantalla es de 55 pulgadas. — The screen is 55 inches.
Mi papá quiere una pantalla de 55 pulgadas. — My dad wants a 55-inch screen.
¿Cuánto mides? — How tall are you?
En el consultorio siempre me preguntan cuánto mido. — At the clinic they always ask me how tall I am.
El departamento mide 70 metros cuadrados. — The apartment is 70 square meters.
Buscamos un departamento que mida 70 metros cuadrados. — We are looking for an apartment that is 70 square meters.

Quick note: In daily Spanish, especially in Mexico, people say kilo all the time. Kilogramo is correct too, but kilo is the one you will hear at markets, butcher shops, and grocery counters without any drama.

Weight And Grocery Words

These are the words you need when buying food, talking about how heavy something is, or reading product labels.

Spanish	English Meaning	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
el gramo	gram	Esta barra tiene 30 gramos de proteína. — This bar has 30 grams of protein.	Necesito 200 gramos de mantequilla. — I need 200 grams of butter.	Solo quiero 100 gramos de jamón. — I only want 100 grams of ham.
el kilo	kilo	Un kilo de plátano sale barato. — A kilo of bananas is cheap.	Compra un kilo de arroz. — Buy a kilo of rice.	Ese costal pesa un kilo. — That bag weighs one kilo.
el kilogramo	kilogram	El paquete pesa un kilogramo exacto. — The package weighs exactly one kilogram.	El gimnasio usa discos de 5 kilogramos. — The gym uses 5-kilogram plates.	Un kilogramo son mil gramos. — One kilogram is a thousand grams.
medio kilo	half a kilo	Dame medio kilo de frijol negro. — Give me half a kilo of black beans.	Compré medio kilo de uvas. — I bought half a kilo of grapes.	Con medio kilo alcanza para todos. — Half a kilo is enough for everyone.
un cuarto de kilo	a quarter kilo	Quiero un cuarto de kilo de queso panela. — I want a quarter kilo of panela cheese.	Solo vendemos de cuarto en cuarto. — We only sell it by quarter kilos.	Un cuarto de kilo no es mucho. — A quarter kilo is not much.
la tonelada	ton	Ese camión carga varias toneladas. — That truck carries several tons.	Se vendió una tonelada de maíz. — A ton of corn was sold.	La fábrica produce toneladas al mes. — The factory produces tons per month.
la onza	ounce	La receta pide 8 onzas de queso crema. — The recipe asks for 8 ounces of cream cheese.	Ese vaso marca onzas y mililitros. — That cup shows ounces and milliliters.	Vi la medida en onzas en la etiqueta. — I saw the measurement in ounces on the label.
la libra	pound	El bebé pesó siete libras al nacer. — The baby weighed seven pounds at birth.	En esa app todo viene en libras. — In that app everything comes in pounds.	Convierte libras a kilos antes de pedir. — Convert pounds to kilos before ordering.
pesar	to weigh	La mochila pesa demasiado. — The backpack weighs too much.	¿Cuánto pesa esta sandía? — How much does this watermelon weigh?	Mi perro pesa 12 kilos. — My dog weighs 12 kilos.
ligero	lightweight, light	Este paquete es muy ligero. — This package is very light.	Busco una maleta ligera. — I am looking for a light suitcase.	El pan se siente ligero. — The bread feels light.

Volume And Cooking Words

Now for the kitchen, bottles, drink sizes, and recipe instructions. This is where things get delicious and annoyingly precise.

Spanish	English Meaning	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
el litro	liter	Necesito dos litros de agua. — I need two liters of water.	El garrafón tiene veinte litros. — The water jug has twenty liters.	Compré un litro de jugo. — I bought a liter of juice.
el mililitro	milliliter	Esta medicina trae 120 mililitros. — This medicine contains 120 milliliters.	Agrega 50 mililitros de aceite. — Add 50 milliliters of oil.	La botella pequeña tiene 355 mililitros. — The small bottle has 355 milliliters.
la taza	cup	Necesitas una taza de harina. — You need one cup of flour.	Le puse media taza de azúcar. — I added half a cup of sugar.	La receta usa tazas, no gramos. — The recipe uses cups, not grams.
la cucharada	tablespoon	Agrega una cucharada de aceite. — Add a tablespoon of oil.	Solo lleva dos cucharadas de crema. — It only takes two tablespoons of cream.	Una cucharada basta. — One tablespoon is enough.
la cucharadita	teaspoon	Usa una cucharadita de canela. — Use a teaspoon of cinnamon.	La receta pide media cucharadita de sal. — The recipe asks for half a teaspoon of salt.	Le puse una cucharadita de miel. — I added a teaspoon of honey.
la pizca	pinch	Agrega una pizca de pimienta. — Add a pinch of pepper.	Solo lleva una pizca de comino. — It only needs a pinch of cumin.	Con una pizca cambia todo. — One pinch changes everything.
la gota	drop	Solo necesito una gota de colorante. — I only need one drop of coloring.	Le puse dos gotas de limón. — I added two drops of lemon juice.	Ni una gota se tiró. — Not a drop spilled.
el galón	gallon	En Estados Unidos venden la leche por galón. — In the United States they sell milk by the gallon.	Ese bote marca galones y litros. — That container shows gallons and liters.	La gasolina a veces se compara por galón. — Gas is sometimes compared by the gallon.
la pinta	pint	La receta original habla de una pinta de crema. — The original recipe talks about a pint of cream.	En ese envase viene una pinta. — That container holds a pint.	Tuve que convertir pintas a mililitros. — I had to convert pints to milliliters.
llenar	to fill	Llena la botella hasta un litro. — Fill the bottle up to one liter.	No llenes la taza hasta arriba. — Do not fill the cup all the way up.	Se llenó con 250 mililitros. — It filled with 250 milliliters.

Length, Size, And Distance Words

This is the section that saves you when buying furniture, asking how far something is, or pretending you totally understand the tape measure.

Spanish	English Meaning	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
el milímetro	millimeter	Le faltan dos milímetros. — It is missing two millimeters.	Ese corte debe ser exacto al milímetro. — That cut must be exact to the millimeter.	La diferencia es mínima: un milímetro. — The difference is tiny: one millimeter.
el centímetro	centimeter	La libreta mide 21 centímetros. — The notebook measures 21 centimeters.	Necesito diez centímetros más. — I need ten more centimeters.	La foto quedó chueca por un centímetro. — The picture ended up crooked by one centimeter.
el metro	meter	La mesa mide un metro y medio. — The table measures one and a half meters.	Está a un metro de la pared. — It is one meter from the wall.	Compré dos metros de tela. — I bought two meters of fabric.
el kilómetro	kilometer	La gasolinera está a tres kilómetros. — The gas station is three kilometers away.	Corrimos cinco kilómetros. — We ran five kilometers.	Faltan veinte kilómetros para llegar. — There are twenty kilometers left to arrive.
la pulgada	inch	Mi laptop es de 14 pulgadas. — My laptop is 14 inches.	La llanta es de 16 pulgadas. — The tire is 16 inches.	Esa pantalla se ve mejor en 55 pulgadas. — That screen looks better at 55 inches.
el pie	foot	La regla también marca pies. — The ruler also marks feet.	Ese anuncio usa pies en vez de metros. — That ad uses feet instead of meters.	Tuve que pasar de pies a metros. — I had to convert from feet to meters.
la yarda	yard	La tienda vende la tela por yarda. — The store sells fabric by the yard.	El campo se mide en yardas. — The field is measured in yards.	La medida venía en yardas, no en metros. — The measurement came in yards, not meters.
la milla	mile	La carrera fue de diez millas. — The race was ten miles.	El mapa muestra millas y kilómetros. — The map shows miles and kilometers.	Una milla no es un kilómetro, gracias por nada. — A mile is not a kilometer, thanks for nothing.
el largo	length	El largo de la mesa es de 180 centímetros. — The length of the table is 180 centimeters.	Revisa el largo de la cortina. — Check the curtain length.	El largo no cabe en el coche. — The length does not fit in the car.
el ancho	width	El ancho de la puerta es suficiente. — The width of the door is enough.	¿Cuál es el ancho del clóset? — What is the width of the closet?	Necesito más ancho en esta repisa. — I need more width in this shelf.
el alto	height of an object	El alto del refri es de 1.70 metros. — The refrigerator height is 1.70 meters.	Nos importa más el alto que el ancho. — We care more about the height than the width.	El alto no pasa por la puerta. — The height does not clear the door.
la estatura	height of a person	Su estatura es de 1.68 metros. — Her height is 1.68 meters.	En el examen médico anotaron mi estatura. — In the medical exam they wrote down my height.	La estatura promedio no importa aquí. — Average height does not matter here.

Dimensions, Area, And Temperature Words

These are the words that make you sound much more competent when talking about homes, furniture, maps, weather, and measurements on forms.

Spanish	English Meaning	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
medir	to measure	Voy a medir la pared. — I am going to measure the wall.	¿Ya mediste la mesa? — Did you already measure the table?	Primero mide el espacio. — First measure the space.
las medidas	measurements, dimensions	Mándame las medidas del sofá. — Send me the sofa measurements.	Las medidas vienen en centímetros. — The measurements come in centimeters.	No tengo las medidas exactas. — I do not have the exact measurements.
las dimensiones	dimensions	Las dimensiones de la caja son 40 por 30. — The box dimensions are 40 by 30.	Revisa las dimensiones antes de comprar. — Check the dimensions before buying.	Las dimensiones no coinciden. — The dimensions do not match.
el diámetro	diameter	El molde tiene 20 centímetros de diámetro. — The pan is 20 centimeters in diameter.	Necesito saber el diámetro del tubo. — I need to know the pipe diameter.	El diámetro es más grande de lo que pensé. — The diameter is bigger than I thought.
la profundidad	depth	La alberca tiene poca profundidad. — The pool has little depth.	¿Cuál es la profundidad del cajón? — What is the depth of the drawer?	La profundidad no me sirve. — The depth does not work for me.
el grosor	thickness	Ese vidrio tiene buen grosor. — That glass has good thickness.	El panel mide tres centímetros de grosor. — The panel is three centimeters thick.	Necesito menos grosor en la tabla. — I need less thickness in the board.
el metro cuadrado	square meter	El estudio tiene 40 metros cuadrados. — The studio is 40 square meters.	Pagamos por metro cuadrado. — We pay per square meter.	El precio por metro cuadrado subió. — The price per square meter went up.
la hectárea	hectare	El rancho mide diez hectáreas. — The ranch measures ten hectares.	Sembraron maíz en dos hectáreas. — They planted corn on two hectares.	Una hectárea es muchísima tierra. — A hectare is a lot of land.
los grados Celsius	degrees Celsius	Hoy estamos a 28 grados Celsius. — Today it is 28 degrees Celsius.	El agua hierve a 100 grados Celsius. — Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.	Guárdalo a 4 grados Celsius. — Store it at 4 degrees Celsius.
los grados Fahrenheit	degrees Fahrenheit	La app muestra la temperatura en grados Fahrenheit. — The app shows the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.	En esa receta el horno está en Fahrenheit. — In that recipe the oven is in Fahrenheit.	Tuve que cambiar Fahrenheit a Celsius. — I had to change Fahrenheit to Celsius.

A Curious Bit: Where Non-Metric Words Sneak In

Even if daily life runs on the metric system, you will still meet pulgadas, onzas, libras, and galones. They show up with imported recipes, product labels, U.S. websites, border-life situations, tire sizes, and especially screen sizes. So yes, Spanish is being helpful and chaotic at the same time.

Common Confusions That Cause Weird Sentences

1) Use de after the quantity before a noun.
un kilo de manzanas — a kilo of apples.
Not: un kilo manzanas.

2) Use estatura for people and alto for objects.
Mi estatura es 1.70 metros. — My height is 1.70 meters.
El clóset mide 2 metros de alto. — The closet is 2 meters high.

3) Use mide and pesa a lot.
La caja mide 40 centímetros de ancho. — The box is 40 centimeters wide.
La caja pesa 3 kilos. — The box weighs 3 kilos.

4) Area words need cuadrado / cuadrados.
50 metros cuadrados — 50 square meters.

5) Decimals are often written with a comma in Spanish.
1,5 litros — 1.5 liters.
Your brain may complain. Let it.

Quick Reference Summary

Weight: gramo, kilo, kilogramo, tonelada, onza, libra
Volume: litro, mililitro, taza, cucharada, cucharadita, pizca
Length: milímetro, centímetro, metro, kilómetro, pulgada, pie, yarda, milla
Dimensions: largo, ancho, alto, diámetro, profundidad, grosor
Useful verbs: medir, pesar, llenar
High-value patterns: medio kilo de…, mide… de largo, pesa…, está a…, metros cuadrados

Final Yak

If you only remember a few things, make them these: kilo, litro, metro, ¿Cuánto pesa?, ¿Cuánto mide?, and the mighty little de in phrases like medio kilo de tortillas. That tiny word does a ridiculous amount of heavy lifting.

Master those, and suddenly shopping, recipes, apartment listings, and everyday small talk in Spanish stop feeling like a math pop quiz you did not study for.