# terraza de una casa o de un edificio de departamentos



## marinakatz

Hello everybody, this is Mariana.

I've been trying to get a translation for "terraza de una casa o de un edificio de departamentos", but I haven't been lucky yet. 

I'd like to say, for example: "Next month, I am going to have my -------- painted". 
Would it possible to say "Roof Garden". 

*Thank you very much in advance*

Marina


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## ilssear

Terrace

es un balcón grande con cielo abierto, o el techo de un edificio.


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## Corintio44

balcony o terrace


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## marinakatz

Sí, tú tienes razón. En castellano / español una terraza es un espacio que se halla sobre una casa o un edificio de departamentos. No obstante, tengo entendido que en inglés "terrace" significa un estilo de casas. 

De todas maneras, te agradezco infinitamente tu preocupación. 

Marina


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## chileno

marinakatz said:


> Hello everybody, this is Mariana.
> 
> I've been trying to get a translation for "terraza de una casa o de un edificio de departamentos", but I haven't been lucky yet.
> 
> I'd like to say, for example: "Next month, I am going to have my -------- painted".
> Would it *be *possible to say "Roofed Garden".
> 
> *Thank you very much in advance*
> 
> Marina



Like it was pointed out to you, balcony or terrace. Now, that "roof garden" makes me think you have a garden in the terrace/balcony and that it is roofed/covered.


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## k-in-sc

(Rooftop) terrace. 
You can have a ground-level terrace too.
A balcony is on the side of the building, not the roof.


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## sergio11

Hola,

Estos son los significados de terraza en español:



> *terraza.*
> 
> *1. *f. Sitio abierto de una casa desde el cual se puede explayar la vista.
> *2. *f. Terreno situado delante de un café, bar, restaurante, etc., acotado para que los clientes puedan sentarse al aire libre.
> *3. *f. Cubierta plana y practicable de un edificio, provista de barandas o muros.
> *4. *f. Cada uno de los espacios de terreno llano, dispuestos en forma de escalones en la ladera de una montaña.
> *5. *f. Jarra vidriada, de dos asas.
> *6. *f. Era estrecha junto a las paredes para plantas de adorno.
> 
> _Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados_


 
Creo que, excepto la acepción 5, de "jarra vidriada, de dos asas," todas las demás se pueden usar tal cual en inglés también.  Esperemos que alguien de habla inglesa lo confirme o lo corrija.   

Saludos


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## chileno

k-in-sc said:


> (Rooftop) terrace.
> You can have a ground-level terrace too.
> A balcony is on the side of the building, not the roof.



The rooftop usually is called "azotea" although it can be a "terraza".


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## ilssear

Definition of TERRACE (Merriam-Webster)

1
a : a colonnaded porch or promenade
b : a flat roof or open platform
c : a relatively level paved or planted area adjoining a building
2
a : a raised embankment with the top leveled
b : one of usually a series of horizontal ridges made in a hillside to increase cultivatable land, conserve moisture, or minimize erosion
3
: a level ordinarily narrow plain usually with steep front bordering a river, lake, or sea; also : a similar undersea feature
4
a : a row of houses or apartments on raised ground or a sloping site
b : a group of row houses
c : a strip of park in the middle of a street often planted with trees or shrubs
d : street
5
: a section of a British soccer stadium set aside for standing spectators

Las acepciones 1 y 2 cubren de la 1 a la 4 en castellano.


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## k-in-sc

chileno said:


> The rooftop usually is called "azotea" although it can be a "terraza".


Apparently marinakatz was wondering what to call her rooftop terrace. I don't know why she doesn't refer to it as an "azotea."


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## sergio11

k-in-sc said:


> I don't know why she doesn't refer to it as an "azotea."


Hello,

Even though in a certain sense "terraza" and "azotea" may be synonyms, there are nuances that may be considered as unwritten rules about these words. "Azotea" usually means a rooftop, a generic surface on the roof, which may or may not be a living space. It may be a utility space, or simply a flat horizontal surface. Instead, a "terraza" is more definitely a living space. It is a rooftop arranged for use as a rest area, a recreation area, or for sightseeing, sunbathing, enjoying the breeze, having lunch or dinner "al fresco," etc., usually has fixed built-in stairs and has a protective wall or handrail around it.

Of course, these are not strict definitions or rules of usage, they are not written in stone, and if someone challenges them, we may not be able to defend them, and perhaps not everyone understands them like that, but most of the time they are understood that way by most of the people. 

A roof of a chalet or an A-frame house, where the surface is not flat and horizontal, usually is neither called azotea nor terraza. 

Saludos


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## k-in-sc

Thanks, Sergio!


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## k-in-sc

I wonder if "rooftop garden" or "roof garden" is British. I would call this a "terrace," as I said before, unless maybe it's mainly for growing plants. But I understand the Brits call a yard a garden even if there's hardly anything growing in it


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## marinakatz

Dear K-in-sc,

Good afternoon, here in Buenos Aires. 

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I'll use "rooftop". I love your comments about Brits. When I was there, I noticed that they are really fond of parks. 

When it comes to expressing ourselves in Spanish, there are sometimes many different words to say one single word. For example, "a bus". In Spain, "autobús", in my country "colectivo", en México "pecera", en Chile "bus", etc. All we need in practice!

Thank you very much again for your help!

Professor Marina.


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## Corintio44

*He escuchado la palabra "terrace" en inglés con más frecuencia en las películas viejas. Tiene varias acepciones:*


*terrace* [ˈtɛrəs]:

*4.* (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) a balcony or patio

*5.* (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) the flat roof of a house built in a Spanish or Oriental style

El número cinco sería equivalente a una "*azotea*" en español y puede ser "flat rooftop" en inglés. ¿Quieres decir azotea?

*"Marinakatz"*: Dices que tienes entendido que "terrace" en inglés es un estilo de casa. Sin embargo, siempre que he escuchado dicha palabra se refería a un lugar específico de la casa "balcón, terraza, etc..."

Por ejemplo:

- Where is María?
- She is on the terrace.

- We had lunch on the terrace.

Por supuesto que las palabras varían de lugar en lugar y también van cambiando con el paso del tiempo. Lo más importante es explicar bien a que se refiere específicamente. Una terraza en español tiene varias acepciones también.


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## marinakatz

Thank you very much for your help!

Mariana


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## marinakatz

Hola, creo que esta opción es la que más se aproxima a la palabra que estoy buscando. 

"*azotea*" =  "flat rooftop" en inglés. 

Un millón de gracias

Marina


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## k-in-sc

A "flat rooftop" sounds kind of featureless, as sergio11 was saying. You could turn it into a terrace, use it for drying clothes, store junk up there or just not do anything with it ...


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## marinakatz

k-in-sc, 

Thank for you help.

I have found this definition:
Terrace: a flat area of stone or grass outside a house, where people sit and sometimes eat. Consequently, I don't think "terrace" means "azotea". Thank you anyway for your help. Even though we can hang our clothes for them to dry, our "azoteas" are located on the top of our houses or block of apartments. At any rate, I don't know how to translate this word into English. 

Marina


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## k-in-sc

k-in-sc said:


> (Rooftop) terrace.
> You can have a ground-level terrace too.
> A balcony is on the side of the building, not the roof.


Images for "rooftop terrace":
http://www.google.com/images?oe=UTF...tle&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQsAQwAA&biw=1031&bih=644

Would I lie to you?


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## marinakatz

k-in-sc,

Thank you for your link. After looking at many pictures, I think I get the picture now. 

Kind regards

Marina


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## k-in-sc

If yours is like any of those, you're lucky


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## marinakatz

k-in-sc,

It's a bit smaller. I live in Argentina and, because of this, we don't find it easy to buy big places to live. Anyway, I love my place. It's about 14 kilometres from downtown, so I don't have to struggle with noise and traffic! There are only houses in my neighbourhood. This means construction companies are not allowed to build blocks of apartment. Bu the way, have you ever been to Buenos Aires?

Un abrazo

Professor Marina


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## Barbara S.

In California people use the word "deck" for a wood terrace of a house. I have to get the deck painted. In New York, apartments have balconies and penthouses have terraces, which may or may not include a roof top garden. Basically, a terrace does not have a roof over it, while most balconies are roofed by the balcony or floor above it.


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## marinakatz

Barbara S. 

Thank you very much for our help. I think I'll say "rooftop terrace". There are "azoteas" / "terrazas" in the top part of most blocks of building in Spain and Argentina. People hang their clothes, but they don't sit there to have a conversation over a cup of coffee, for example. 

Un abrazo

Marina


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