01 · Name both tools, not 'the tool'
Necesito la llave inglesa y el martillo.
I need the wrench and the hammer.
Naming the exact tool instead of pointing is what gets you handed the right one the first time.
andbefluent.com/spanish/do-it-yourself
Do it Yourself
Name the tools, give the measurements, and explain the fix — out loud, in Spanish.
The hardware store is la ferretería, and the trick to shopping in one is knowing your region's word: pliers are los alicates in textbooks, las pinzas in Mexico and la pinza in Argentina. When you don't know a tool's name, describe it — el que sirve para... (the one that's for...) gets you understood every time. And always give measurements with units: cinco centímetros de ancho, never just a number. &Be teaches this vocabulary with no flashcards and no drills — you learn each tool by asking for it out loud in a real conversation.
Below: the tools and materials each lesson gets you saying, the words that change from Mexico to Argentina, and a way to rehearse the whole shopping trip out loud.
The warm-up pack
The words for naming the tool, the material, and the fix — out loud, at the counter or in the garage.
01 · Name both tools, not 'the tool'
Necesito la llave inglesa y el martillo.
I need the wrench and the hammer.
Naming the exact tool instead of pointing is what gets you handed the right one the first time.
02 · The word your tío actually uses
Pásame un pijita, por favor.
Pass me a little screw, please. (Mexico — the affectionate word for a small screw.)
El destornillador is the word in a book; pijita is what people actually say reaching for a tiny screw.
03 · The glue that actually holds wood
Necesito la cola de carpintero.
I need wood glue.
El pegamento is glue in general — this is the specific kind that holds wood. Naming it right saves a second trip.
04 · Give the number, not the guess
Necesito cinco centímetros de ancho.
I need five centimeters of width.
A measurement without a unit isn't a measurement. Say the number and the unit, every time — it fixes half of DIY mistakes.
05 · The eternal DIY argument
¿A ojo? Con metro.
By eye? With the tape.
Every home fix has this argument somewhere in it. Volunteering con metro tells your helper you're doing this properly.
06 · Sand it, Argentina-style
Lijalo bien.
Sand it well. (Argentina — the vos command form.)
This is the command you'll actually hear in a workshop, not the textbook lija bien.
07 · Not all glue is equal
Pegalo con silicona.
Glue it with silicone.
Naming the silicona instead of just 'pegamento' tells them exactly what kind of hold you need.
08 · The tool everyone forgets to ask for
¿Tienes la cinta métrica?
Do you have the measuring tape?
You can eyeball a measurement in a pinch — asking for this first means you don't have to.
09 · When the word slips your mind
Busco el que sirve para cortar esto.
I'm looking for the one that's used to cut this.
Forgetting a tool's name isn't a dead end. This phrase plus a gesture gets you the right thing, every time.
10 · Say it before they ask
Voy a usar gafas de seguridad.
I'm going to wear safety glasses.
Mentioning safety unprompted is what makes a hardware clerk trust you with the sharp stuff.
11 · The fix that isn't a big deal
Solo necesita darle una manita.
It just needs a little touch-up.
Darle una manita undersells the fix on purpose — it's how you say 'nothing serious, I've got it.'
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/do-it-yourselfRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| pliers | las pinzas | la pinza |
| washer | la rondana | la arandela |
| drywall / plaster | el yeso | el durlock |
Watch out
The part no drill site can do
Olivia
Your vocabulary teacher for this pack
Nothing to drill, nothing to fill in — in the Do it Yourself lessons you talk your way through a project. Olivia plays it out with you: you're buying supplies for a small fix, so you list what you need — el martillo, los tornillos, la cinta métrica — then explain the plan step by step: primero measure, luego cut, después sand, finalmente glue. When you hit a tricky step, you ask her advice out loud, the way you would at the counter of a real ferretería.
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 6 lessons and Do it Yourself is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
La ferretería — it's where every DIY conversation in Latin America starts, whether you need un taladro (a drill), tornillos (screws) or una lámina de triplex (a sheet of plywood, as they say in Colombia).
El destornillador is the standard word, but in Colombia and Venezuela casual speech prefers el desarmador. For a wrench, most people drop the 'inglesa' and just ask for la llave.
Describe its job: el que sirve para... — 'the one that's used for...' — and mime or point. It's the recommended move when tool names fail you, and shopkeepers fill in the word instantly.
The drill is el taladro and the bit is la broca. In Mexico a hammer drill is el rotomartillo, and saws get named by type: la caladora (jigsaw) or la circular (circular saw).
Sequence words carry it: primero, luego, después, finalmente — with the verbs medir, cortar, lijar and pegar. Include exact measurements (cinco centímetros de ancho) — the eternal debate is doing it a ojo (by eye) versus con metro.