Yesterday, the whole of Spain went dark. No electricity. No internet. No mobile signal. For over 12 hours, we were truly off the grid.
It felt like something out of a movie — but instead of panicking, let’s turn this blackout into a chance to learn some real, useful English vocabulary! ⚡🇬🇧
Whether you're describing what happened to a friend, writing about it in an exam, or just preparing for the next unexpected outage, these words and phrases will come in handy.
⚡ The Basics: Talking About the Power Cut
- Power cut / Blackout → There was a national power cut across Spain. (Corte de electricidad / Apagón)
- Electricity outage → We had an electricity outage that lasted over 12 hours. (Interrupción del suministro eléctrico)
- Out of service → Everything was out of service — elevators, traffic lights, even the coffee machine! (Fuera de servicio)
- Wi-Fi / Mobile data / Signal → My Wi-Fi was gone, and there was no mobile data or signal at all. (Wi-Fi / Datos móviles / Cobertura)
🏠 Daily Life Vocabulary During a Blackout
- Candle → We lit some candles to see in the dark. (Vela)
- Torch / Flashlight (UK/US) → Luckily, I had a torch in my drawer. (Linterna)
- Battery-powered → Battery-powered radios are still useful in situations like this. (Funcionando a pilas / con batería)
- Charge your phone → Everyone was trying to save battery and find somewhere to charge their phone. (Cargar el móvil)
- Unplug → It’s a good idea to unplug electronics during a power cut to avoid damage. (Desenchufar)
🌐 Power Supply & Infrastructure Vocabulary
- Power station / Power plant → A fault at the power station may have caused the blackout. (Central eléctrica / Planta de energía)
- Power lines / Electricity cables → A problem with the power lines can cut electricity to thousands of homes. (Líneas eléctricas / Cables de electricidad)
- Electricity grid → The entire electricity grid went down. (Red eléctrica)
- Backup generator → Hospitals usually have backup generators for emergencies. (Generador de respaldo / Generador auxiliar)
- Energy supplier / Electricity provider → Our electricity provider still hasn’t explained what happened. (Proveedor de energía / Suministrador de electricidad)
😵💫 Reactions and Real-Life Phrases
- “We were left in the dark.” (Nos quedamos en la oscuridad.)
- “Everything came to a standstill.” (Todo se paralizó.)
- “We were completely cut off.” (Nos quedamos completamente incomunicados.)
- “I couldn’t even charge my phone!” (¡Ni siquiera podía cargar el móvil!)
- “It felt like the apocalypse!” 😅 (¡Parecía el apocalipsis!)
💡 Final Thoughts
Power cuts can be inconvenient, stressful — and a bit scary. But they’re also a good reminder of how much we rely on modern technology.
And if you can talk about it in English? You’re one step closer to fluency, even in the dark!
Let us know on social media — what did YOU do during the blackout? And did you learn any new English words from the experience?
