{"id":82,"date":"2026-09-30T17:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/food-in-spanish\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T17:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:07:09","slug":"food-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/food-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Food in Spanish: vocabulary, meals and a classroom routine"},"content":{"rendered":"
Food vocabulary in Spanish<\/h2>\n\n
In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the stressed syllable. “h” stands for the jota, a throaty sound like the ch in Scottish “loch”. “th” is the Spain pronunciation of z, and of c before e or i; in Latin America it is “s”. The Spanish h is silent.<\/p>\n\n
Food is the theme where regional words matter most. Teach the variety you speak and recognise the others.<\/p>\n\n
Spain<\/th>
Latin America<\/th>
English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
la patata<\/td>
la papa (also in the Canaries)<\/td>
potato<\/td><\/tr>
el zumo<\/td>
el jugo<\/td>
juice<\/td><\/tr>
el pl\u00e1tano<\/td>
la banana, el banano, el pl\u00e1tano<\/td>
banana<\/td><\/tr>
el melocot\u00f3n<\/td>
el durazno<\/td>
peach<\/td><\/tr>
la fresa<\/td>
la frutilla (Southern Cone)<\/td>
strawberry<\/td><\/tr>
los guisantes<\/td>
las arvejas, los ch\u00edcharos (Mexico)<\/td>
peas<\/td><\/tr>
la tarta<\/td>
el pastel, la torta<\/td>
cake<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
Two words are true traps. La tortilla<\/span> is a potato omelette in Spain (la tortilla de patatas<\/span>) but a thin maize or wheat flatbread in Mexico. And in Mexico la torta<\/span> is a filled sandwich roll, not a cake.<\/p>\n\n
Meals and mealtimes in Spain<\/h2>\n\n
Spanish<\/th>
Verb<\/th>
English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
el desayuno<\/td>
desayunar<\/td>
breakfast<\/td><\/tr>
el almuerzo<\/td>
almorzar<\/td>
mid-morning snack (Spain), lunch (much of Latin America)<\/td><\/tr>
In Spain, lunch is usually eaten later than in the UK, in the early afternoon, and dinner later in the evening too. La comida<\/span> also simply means “food”, and comer<\/span> “to eat”: \u00bfQu\u00e9 hay de comida?<\/span> can mean “What’s for lunch?”<\/p>\n\n
Grammar for talking about food<\/h2>\n\n
Gustar agrees with the food.<\/strong> Me gusta el chocolate<\/span>, Me gustan las fresas<\/span>. The thing liked is the subject.<\/li>
General statements keep the article.<\/strong> Me encanta el queso<\/span>, Odio las cebollas<\/span>: English says “I love cheese” without one.<\/li>
After eating verbs, no article for an unspecified amount.<\/strong> Como fruta todos los d\u00edas.<\/span> Bebo agua.<\/span><\/li>
El agua is feminine.<\/strong> Like el \u00e1guila<\/span>, it takes el<\/span> because of the stressed a-: el agua fr\u00eda<\/span>, las aguas<\/span>. El az\u00facar<\/span> is usually masculine, though la az\u00facar<\/span> is also accepted.<\/li>
Hunger and thirst use tener.<\/strong> Tengo hambre<\/span>, Tengo sed<\/span>.<\/li>
Tasty is estar rico.<\/strong> \u00a1La paella est\u00e1 muy rica!<\/span> With ser<\/span>, rico<\/span> means “rich”.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n
Plurals to watch<\/h3>\n\n
el lim\u00f3n<\/span> \u2192 los limones<\/span>, el melocot\u00f3n<\/span> \u2192 los melocotones<\/span>: the accent disappears.<\/li>
la nuez<\/span> \u2192 las nueces<\/span> (walnuts): z becomes c.<\/li>
el pan<\/span> \u2192 los panes<\/span>, el caf\u00e9<\/span> \u2192 los caf\u00e9s<\/span>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n
Ordering and allergies<\/h3>\n\n
Para m\u00ed, una tortilla y un zumo de naranja, por favor.<\/span>For me, a Spanish omelette and an orange juice, please.<\/small><\/p>\n\n
\u00bfMe trae la cuenta, por favor?<\/span>Could you bring me the bill, please?<\/small><\/p>\n\n
Soy al\u00e9rgica a los frutos secos.<\/span>I’m allergic to nuts.<\/small><\/p>\n\n
\u00a1Que aproveche!<\/span>Enjoy your meal!<\/small><\/p>\n\n
Idioms and expressions<\/h2>\n\n
Spanish<\/th>
Literally<\/th>
Meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
ser pan comido<\/td>
to be eaten bread<\/td>
to be a piece of cake<\/td><\/tr>
ponerse como un tomate<\/td>
to go like a tomato<\/td>
to go bright red<\/td><\/tr>
me importa un pepino<\/td>
it matters a cucumber to me<\/td>
I couldn’t care less<\/td><\/tr>
dar calabazas<\/td>
to give pumpkins<\/td>
to turn someone down<\/td><\/tr>
al pan, pan, y al vino, vino<\/td>
bread is bread and wine is wine<\/td>
to call a spade a spade<\/td><\/tr>
estar como un fideo<\/td>
to be like a noodle<\/td>
to be very thin<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n
“Estoy hambre”:<\/strong> it is Tengo hambre<\/span>.<\/li>
“Me gusta las fresas”:<\/strong> plural food needs gustan<\/span>.<\/li>
Dropping the article after gustar:<\/strong> “Me gusta chocolate” instead of Me gusta el chocolate<\/span>.<\/li>
Pez for food:<\/strong> it is el pescado<\/span> on a plate.<\/li>
“La agua fr\u00eda”:<\/strong> it is el agua fr\u00eda<\/span>.<\/li>
“Es rico” for “it’s tasty”:<\/strong> use est\u00e1 rico<\/span>.<\/li>
Embarazada is not embarrassed:<\/strong> it means pregnant, a classic trap when a pupil spills a drink.<\/li>
English j or h:<\/strong> jam\u00f3n<\/span> with a throaty jota, helado<\/span> and huevo<\/span> without h.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n
In class: food as a word of the day<\/h2>\n\n
Food is easy to show, easy to have an opinion about, and useful from the first week to GCSE.<\/p>\n\n
Show the picture and the English word: “carrot”.<\/li>
Ask \u00bfC\u00f3mo se dice en espa\u00f1ol?<\/span> Pupils write a guess on mini whiteboards.<\/li>
Reveal la zanahoria<\/span> with its pronunciation. The class repeats it, syllable by syllable, then two pupils alone.<\/li>
Show an example sentence: Me gustan las zanahorias, pero no me gusta la cebolla.<\/span><\/li>
Give the reuse task: each pupil gives an opinion with me gusta<\/span> or me gustan<\/span> and a reason: porque es sano<\/span>, porque es dulce<\/span>.<\/li>
Recall yesterday’s word and one from last week.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n
That is exactly what a daily routine does: one word a day, and a short, useful sentence built around it.<\/p>\n\n
Riddles and games<\/h3>\n\n
Riddles work well from A1: Es amarilla, es una fruta y a los monos les encanta. \u00bfQu\u00e9 es?<\/span> (el pl\u00e1tano<\/span> or la banana<\/span>). For A2, a “menu of the day” game: pupils order three dishes from a mini-menu with de primero<\/span>, de segundo<\/span> and de postre<\/span>. Sorting tasks also help: masculine or feminine, fruit or vegetable, healthy or not.<\/p>\n\n
A1<\/b>The word with its article and gustar: Me gusta el queso.<\/span><\/li>
A2<\/b>Meals and a routine: Para desayunar, como pan con tomate y bebo leche.<\/span><\/li>
B1<\/b>Past meals and restaurant role-plays: Ayer cen\u00e9 pescado con patatas.<\/span> \u00bfMe trae la cuenta?<\/span><\/li>
B2<\/b>Healthy eating and opinions: Es importante que comamos m\u00e1s fruta y menos az\u00facar.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n
At KS2, a picture and a me gusta<\/span> \/ no me gusta<\/span> vote are enough. At KS3, insist on gusta<\/span> \/ gustan<\/span> and the article. At GCSE, food comes back through healthy lifestyle, festivals and eating out.<\/p>\n\n