Food & Drinks in Spanish (pt. 2) – Lesson 31

Food and drinks in Spanish: part 2

In part 1 we looked at the drinks. Today it’s time for the food: some basic, popular foods, and the meals of the day. Spanish even has a special verb for each meal!

Bread, potatoes, rice and pasta

Patatas is what you’ll hear in Spain, papas in Latin America (and the Canary Islands). French fries are just “fried potatoes”: patatas fritas or papas fritas.

Arroz ends with a z: in Latin America it sounds like “a-ROS”, in most of Spain more like “a-ROTH”. Remember the different accents from lesson 30?

Sandwich: bocadillo or sándwich?

There’s a small difference. In Spain, a bocadillo is made with a baguette-style bread, like a bocadillo de jamón. A sándwich is made with soft, sliced bread, like a toastie. Look up a picture of both and you’ll see right away.

Salad, hamburger and soup

In hamburguesa, the h is silent, like always in Spanish: “am-bur-GHE-sa”. And just like zumo de naranja in part 1, Spanish says “soup of tomato”: sopa de tomate.

Cookies

Galleta is used for both cookies and biscuits/crackers.

The meals of the day

In English you have 3 main meals. In Spanish there are 4, and each one has its own noun and its own verb:

Meal	Verb	English
el desayuno	desayunar	breakfast / to have breakfast
el almuerzo	almorzar	lunch / to have lunch
la merienda	merendar	afternoon snack / to have an afternoon snack
la cena	cenar	dinner / to have dinner

La merienda is the one English doesn’t really have: a snack between lunch and dinner, like a sandwich, some fruit or a coffee with cookies. In Spain, where dinner is often at 9 or 10 pm, the merienda is pretty important!

Using the meal verbs

Voy a + verb = “I’m going to…”, which we saw in the restaurant lesson. ¿Vamos a…? = “are we going to…?” or “shall we…?”

In English you say “I’m going to have dinner”. Spanish just uses the verb: cenar. Native speakers use these verbs all the time, so instead of ¿vamos a comer? you’ll often hear the more specific ¿vamos a cenar?

Recap: food in Spanish

Spanish	English
el pan	the bread
las patatas / las papas	the potatoes
las patatas fritas	the French fries
el arroz	the rice
la pasta	the pasta
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

+ 9 more words & phrases

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Practice: food and meals

Say it out loud first, then click to check.

1. How do you say “the French fries” in Spain?

Las patatas fritas.

2. And in Latin America?

Las papas fritas.

3. Order a tomato soup.

Quiero una sopa de tomate, por favor.

4. Say “I’m going to have breakfast”.

Voy a desayunar.

5. Ask a friend “Shall we have dinner?”

¿Vamos a cenar?

6. What’s the verb for “to have an afternoon snack”?

Merendar.

Quiz: food in Spanish

10 questions. ¿Vamos a comer?

Frequently asked questions

What time do people eat in Spain?

Later than you’re probably used to! Lunch is often around 2 pm, and dinner around 9 or 10 pm. That’s why the merienda around 5 or 6 pm is so popular.

Is “la comida” food or lunch?

Both. La comida means “the food”, and in Spain (and Mexico) it’s also the word for the main midday meal. The context makes it clear.

Before you go to the next lesson

That’s part 2 of food and drinks. Study these words before you move on, and grab the free reference sheet below. See you in the next lesson. ¡Buen provecho!