# convertible (car)



## albondiga

Hi all,

I am curious as to what words different languages use to refer to a *convertible *(car), formally and/or colloquially...

I learned a while ago that in Latin American Spanish _convertible _is typically used (and obviously means the same as in English, "can be converted"), while in European Spanish it's always _descapotable_ (which very loosely means "[something that's] top can be removed")...  how do other languages refer to it?


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## elroy

In colloquial Palestinian Arabic, it is called a سيارة) شبح) _([sayyaara]_ _shabaH_), which means "ghost (car)."  I have no idea what the origins of that are!


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## dn88

*In Polish: *

_kabriolet_
_kabrio_ (inf.)


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## Hakro

*Finnish:*

avoauto (open car)

We use the same word for covertible cars (that have a soft top) and for cars that have no top at all (sports/racing cars).


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## Nanon

French: cabriolet and also décapotable.


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## deine

Lithuanian:

Kabrioletas


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## ronanpoirier

Portuguese: conversível (= convertible)


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## Lello4ever

In Italian is "decappottabile".


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## Outsider

ronanpoirier said:


> Portuguese, Brazil: conversível (= convertible)


Portuguese, Portugal: descapotável.


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## Chazzwozzer

*Turkish:* üstü açılabilen (araba)

I think most people would just prefer to call them "spor araba".


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## Joannes

In Dutch:

*Cabriolet* or just *cabrio*.

(*Décapotable* may be heard in Belgium - and I don't just mean in the French speaking part.  It's pronounced [...bël] and not [...bl(ë)], <ë> representing a shwa.)


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## kiyama

In Catalan: descapotable


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## Maja

dn88 said:


> *In Polish: *
> 
> _kabriolet_
> _kabrio_ (inf.)



Same in Serbian!


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## albondiga

Thanks, everyone! 

(Interesting that the same Atlantic Ocean gap exists here in both Spanish and Portuguese...)


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## xeneize

In italian, you can find also *cabriolet*.
And in Latin American, although *convertible* is the most common, *descapotable* is also used, at least in some countries.


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## Nizo

In *Esperanto*, the car is a _kabrioleto_.


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## Anatoli

*Russian:*
кабриолет (kabriol*e*t), nothing surprising


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## apmoy70

Greek:

*«Καμπριολέ»* [kam.bri.ɔˈle] (neut.) or colloq. *«κάμπριο»* [ˈkam.bri.ɔ] (neut.) < Fr. cabriolet.


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## Mahaodeh

elroy said:


> In colloquial Palestinian Arabic, it is called a سيارة) شبح) _([sayyaara]_ _shabaH_), which means "ghost (car)." I have no idea what the origins of that are!



Really! I did not know that (not that I know a lot about cars ). I just call it سيارة كشف or سيارة مكشوفة sayyaara makshoofa; literally: uncovered car. Never had anyone not understand it before.


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## Prades Advent

Indonesia:
As far as i know we don't have that term in Indonesia. Basically if we want to refer to that kind of car we would just use that English term "convertible".


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## KalAlbè

Colloquially (AE) we also call it a *drop-top*.


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## Stoggler

KalAlbè said:


> Colloquially (AE) we also call it a *drop-top*.



They have been known as soft-tops in British English


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