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To build off of learning the Spanish culture through food from last week, this week I wanted to focus on the Spanish vocabulary associated with food. I really enjoy Mexican food, so I find that it is time for me to learn the names for my favourite dishes and ingredients. This is important as you must know the proper terms for food if you travel to Spanish speaking countries.

To begin… food in Spanish is alimentos (plural masculine) or la comida (singular feminine). And the verb of “to eat” is comer. Some other important food terms to know are:

  • breakfast = el desayuno (noun) or desayunar (verb)
  • lunch = el almuerzo (noun) or almorzar (verb)
  • dinner = la cena (noun) or cenar (verb)

This list displays some common Spanish food vocabulary

A list of Spanish food vocabulary
Image from spanish vocabulary – Google Search | Spanish food vocabulary, Collective nouns, Nouns (pinterest.ca)

Now that we know some Spanish food vocabulary, how should you order food in a restaurant? Well, there are two verbs that you should use. They are poner (to put) and traer (to bring). These two verbs can be used interchangeably when ordering food (even though they have different English translations). A brief and clear definition of the difference between these verbs is,

“If you’re ordering real food or drinks, you can use both, poner or traer.
If you’re ordering other things that are far away from the waiter (the menu, the check, a fork, a slice of lemon), use traer”. (“How To Sound Natural When Ordering Food In Spanish”)

In addition to this, this website How to Sound Natural When Ordering Food in Spanish (deliberatespanish.com) provides helpful tips on speaking in Spanish when in a restaurant, grocery store, or talking about food.

Please watch this YouTube video of food vocabulary in Spanish. This video will allow you to read and hear the vocabulary, which is essential when learning another language. I really enjoy this video as it is separated into different sections (i.e.. breakfast food, breakfast drinks, lunch drinks, etc.)

Now, once you feel confident with your newly acquired food vocabulary in Spanish…try this online quiz Spanish Food Vocabulary Trivia Quiz! – ProProfs Quiz! This quiz will help you learn, review, and enhance your knowledge and vocabulary of food in Spanish as it contains words and pictures. I got 20/20! Woohoo

¡Adiós!

Kyra