"A primavera é uma estação."

Translation: Spring is a season.

[Kaoriocha]

What's the difference between "estação" and "temporada"?

[r_i_l_e_y]

they both can be used for "season". They have different alternative meanings though. Eg "estação" can also mean station, but "temporada" does not.

[erudis]

Just complementing, we use estação for season mainly when talking about the four seasons, and temporada for other types of seasons, such as a football season.

[mgaristova]

Well, I wondered if "temporada" could be also translated as "period" in some context...

[maryanfirpo]

Hey how do you say spring like a spring in a mattress?

[erudis]

Mola. (the o is pronounced like an ó)

[Davu]

I think you'll agree that "mola" is a very common word in Brazil because everybody has to suffer the ever present "quebra-molas" on urban roads (at least that's true in the suburbs of Rio). The word "quebra-mola", or "break-spring" in English I suppose, is quite descriptive. In Britain they are called "speed humps" or even more descriptively "sleeping policemen".

[erudis]

Thanks for the info, it's very interesting. I wouldn't say it's a very common word, but definitely common enough that almost everyone knows what it means. And I never knew speed bumps as "sleeping policemen", now that's an interesting expression.

[maryanfirpo]

Oh that's really awesome! Policías acostados are quebra-mola because they make your car spring up and down. That's cool. Man I'm glad I asked that vaguely related question.

[Danmoller]

It's not because it makes the car spring. It's because it breaks the springs. (quebrar = to break)

[MalloryPec]

How do you tell if someone means season or station? I could think of a lot of statemenrs that could have that word and mean either thing.

[Davu]

The usual answer is context. It is certainly possible to construct isolated sentences where both meanings could fit comfortably, but those sentences would usually be accompanied by other sentences making the correct choice obvious.