contador
nounCEFR B1
What does “contador” mean in English?
1.utility meter
utility meter (gas, water, electricity) — leer el contador
2.utility meter
utility meter (gas, water, electricity) — leer el contador
Example sentences
El técnico vino a leer el contador del gas porque llevábamos dos años con facturas estimadas y querían hacer una lectura real.
The technician came to read the gas meter because we had been on estimated bills for two years and they wanted to take a real reading.
Para dar de alta el suministro de agua, primero tienes que localizar el contador y comprobar que está en buen estado.
To connect the water supply, you first have to locate the meter and check that it is in good working order.
El contador de la luz estaba en el sótano, junto a los contadores de todos los vecinos del edificio.
The electricity meter was in the basement, alongside all the other residents' meters in the building.
How to use it
Contador means 'meter' (utility meter — gas, water, electricity) in a housing context. It is pan-Hispanic in this sense. The electricity company or utility company reads (leer) or checks (revisar, comprobar) the contador to calculate your bill. Common patterns: leer el contador, dar de alta el contador, el contador marca. Note: contador also means 'accountant' in Latin American Spanish — context resolves the ambiguity.
Common mistake
Don't use contador to mean 'counter' (shop counter = mostrador; bench counter = encimera). In housing conversations, contador is always the utility meter. In some Latin American countries, medidor is preferred over contador for the utility meter — both are understood pan-Hispanically.