Las comidas del día (The Meals of the Day)

From a quick breakfast to a late-night snack, food is part of our daily routine, and every culture does it a little differently! In this unit, you will learn how to talk about meals and food in Spanish, including when and what people eat. You will also explore delicious vocabulary from fruits to desserts, and get to know unique customs like la merienda. Ready to dig in? ¡Buen provecho!

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These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Santiago, Chile.

(See alt text in this document)

¿Cuándo comes frutas, verduras, carne, pan, etc.?

• el desayuno

• breakfast

• el almuerzo

• lunch

• la merienda

• snack

• la cena

• dinner

Nota cultural: ¿Qué es la merienda?

In many Spanish-speaking countries, la merienda is a light meal or snack eaten in the late afternoon, usually between lunch and dinner. In some countries, like México and Puerto Rico, in office settings there can also be a mid-morning merienda. Children often have a merienda after school, which might include bread with chocolate, fruit, yogurt, or pastries. Adults might enjoy coffee or tea with a small snack. Unlike the heavier meals of el almuerzo and la cena, la merienda is meant to hold you over until dinner, which is often eaten later in the evening than in the United States. The tradition of merendar reflects the social and relaxed rhythm of daily life in many Hispanic cultures. (In Chapter 2, you learned about the time in which la merienda is usually eaten.)

Now, what can those meals include? Here is a comprehensive list of foods divided by type:

Las frutas y los frutos secos (Fruits and Nuts)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from New York City, United States.

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• la manzana 🍏

• apple

• la pera 🍐

• pear

• la banana / el plátano 🍌

• banana

• la fresa / la frutilla 🍓

• strawberry

• la sandía 🍉

• watermelon

• la naranja 🍊

• orange

• la uva 🍇

• grape

• la piña / el ananá🍍

• pineapple

• el durazno / el melocotón 🍑

• peach

• la cereza 🍒

• cherry

• el limón 🍋

• lemon

• el coco 🥥

• coconut

• la ciruela

• plum

• el kiwi 🥝

• kiwi

• las nueces

• walnuts

• las almendras

• almonds

• las avellanas

• hazelnuts

• los pistachos

• pistachios

• los maníes/cacahuates

• peanuts

• las semillas de ajonjolí/sésamo

• sesame seed

🔎Remember those lexical varieties we have seen in previous chapters? Here’s some more!

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from New York City, United States.

(See alt text in this document)

Las verduras (Vegetables)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México.

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• la zanahoria 🥕

• carrot

• la papa / la patata🥔

• potato

• el tomate 🍅

• tomato

• la cebolla 🧅

• onion

• el ajo 🧄

• garlic

• el pimiento 🌶️

• pepper

• el pepino 🥒

• cucumber

• el brócoli 🥦

• broccoli

• la lechuga 🥬

• lettuce

• la espinaca

• spinach

• la berenjena 🍆

• eggplant

• el maíz / el choclo 🌽

• corn

• el aguacate / la palta 🥑

• avocado

• el hongo / el champiñón 🍄

• mushrooms

• la batata / el camote 🍠

• sweet potato 

• la calabaza / el zapallo 🎃

• pumpkin/squash

• los frijoles / las habichuelas 🫘

• beans

• el nopal

• cactus

• el plátano verde

• green plantain

🔎 Here is another set of lexical varieties:

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México.

(See alt text in this document)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

(See alt text in this document)

• el pollo 🍗

• chicken

• la carne de res 🥩

• beef

• el cerdo 🐷

• pork

• el pescado 🐟

• fish

• los mariscos 🦐

• seafood

• el jamón 🍖

• ham

• el camarón / la gamba 🍤

• shrimp

• el atún 🐟

• tuna

• el huevo 🥚

• egg

• el queso 🧀

• cheese

• el yogur 🥛

• yogurt

• el tocino / la panceta 🥓

• bacon

• las salchichas 🌭

• sausages

• el pavo 🦃

• turkey

• el salmón 🐟

• salmon

• el tofú

• tofu

Las bebidas (Drinks/Beverages)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

(See alt text in this document)

• el agua 💧

• water

• el café ☕

• coffee

• el té 🍵

• tea

• el jugo / el zumo 🧃

• juice

• la leche 🥛

• milk

• la limonada 🍋

• lemonade

• la soda / el refresco / la gaseosa 🥤

• soda

• el cóctel 🍹

• cocktail

• la cerveza 🍺

• beer

• el vino 🍷

• wine

🔎Here is another set of lexical varieties:

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

(See alt text in this document)

Los condimentos y los untables (Condiments and Spreads)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Rosario, Argentina.

(See alt text in this document)

• la miel 🍯

• honey

• el azúcar 🍚

• sugar

• la mantequilla 🧈

• butter

• la mantequilla de maní/cacahuate 🥜

• peanut butter

• la jalea/la mermelada

• jam

• la sal 🧂

• salt

• la pimienta

• pepper

• la mermelada

• jam

• la mayonesa

• mayonnaise

• el ketchup

• ketchup

• la mostaza

• mustard

• la salsa picante

• hot sauce        

Note: Don’t mix up el pimiento VS la pimienta!

In Spanish, el pimiento and la pimienta sound similar but mean different things. Here's a quick guide:

• el pimiento = bell pepper (the vegetable)
• la pimienta = pepper (the spice)

Los postres y las delicias (Sweets and Delights)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Santiago, Chile.

(See alt text in this document)

• las palomitas de maíz / el pororó 🍿

• popcorn

• el chocolate 🍫

• chocolate

• el helado🍦

• ice cream

• la galleta 🍪

• cookie

• el pastel / la torta 🍰

• cake

• el panqueque 🥞

• pancake

• el croissant / la medialuna 🥐

• croissant

• el bagel 🥯

• bagel

• el flan 🍮

• flan

• las donas / los donuts 🍩

• donuts

• el pan 🍞

• bread

• el cereal 🥣

• cereal

🔎Here is another set of lexical varieties:

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Santiago, Chile.

(See alt text in this document)

Los platos principales (Main Dishes)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

(See alt text in this document)

• la hamburguesa 🍔

• hamburger

• el perro caliente / el pancho 🌭

• hot dog

• el taco 🌮

• taco

• el burrito 🌯

• burrito

• las papas fritas 🍟

• french fries

• la quesadilla 🫓

• quesadilla

• la ensalada 🥗

• salad

• la paella 🥘

• paella

• el tamal 🫔

• tamal

• el ceviche 🐟

• ceviche

• la sopa 🥣

• soup

• el estofado 🍲

• stew

• el arroz 🍚

• rice

• empanadas

• empanadas

• la milanesa

• breaded cutlets

Note: The words used for many foods are loans from their original cuisines, it is simply a matter of adding the definite article. Here you have some examples of words that don’t change in spelling: la pizza, la pasta, el ramen, el sándwich, el sushi, el curry, el falafel, el kebab, el dumpling.

🔎Here is another set of lexical varieties:

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.

(See alt text in this document)

Check-in Activity

Los utensilios de mesa (Table Utensils)

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Rosario, Argentina.

(See alt text in this document)

• el plato 🍽️

• plate

• el vaso 🥛

• glass

• la taza ☕

• cup/mug

• el tazón / el bol 🥣

• bowl

• el cuchillo 🔪

• knife

• el tenedor 🍴

• fork

• la cuchara 🥄

• spoon

• los palillos 🥢

• chopsticks

• el mantel

• tablecloth

• la servilleta

• napkin

• el popote /la pajita🥤

• straw

Check-in Activity

🔎Here is another set of lexical varieties:

These vocabulary words were read by a speaker from Rosario, Argentina.

(See alt text in this document)

Pronunciación del español (Spanish Pronunciation)

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Now, look at the image below. It contains a collage of food vocabulary from this section.

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Part 1: Identify each word and say it out loud in Spanish.

Part 2: Pay special attention to the “o” sound, keep it steady like [o], not sliding like [oʊ]!

🎯 Can you hear the difference? Can you feel your mouth staying still?

🔊 Challenge: Record yourself saying the words. Then, listen back and check: did you accidentally glide into [oʊ]? Try again until you get a clean [o]!