The Spanish words you reach for most at a table are comida (food), agua (water), pan (bread), café (coffee), and the names of the three meals: desayuno, almuerzo, and cena. Learn the everyday food and drink words below and you can read most of a menu, order a coffee the way locals do, and ask for the bill. Tap any row to hear it, then read on for what to expect once you sit down.
Food and drink: the everyday words
This is the food and drink slice of Vocabcord's A1 Spanish set, the nouns that turn up on menus, shopping lists, and breakfast tables. Tap the play button on any row to hear it.
| Spanish | English | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| comida | food | The food is delicious. |
| agua | water | A glass of water, please. |
| pan | bread | Fresh bread smells good. |
| leche | milk | Milk in my coffee, please. |
| café | coffee | I drink coffee every morning. |
| té | tea | Tea with lemon, please. |
| zumo | juice | Orange juice is sweet. |
| cerveza | beer | A cold beer, please. |
| vino | wine | Red wine with dinner. |
| desayuno | breakfast | Breakfast is at eight. |
| almuerzo | lunch | Let's have lunch together. |
| cena | dinner | Dinner is ready. |
| comida | meal | What a great meal! |
| huevo | egg | I want an egg for breakfast. |
| queso | cheese | Cheese with bread. |
| mantequilla | butter | Butter on toast. |
| azúcar | sugar | Sugar in your tea? |
| sal | salt | Pass the salt, please. |
| arroz | rice | Rice with chicken. |
| carne | meat | I don't eat meat. |
| pollo | chicken | Grilled chicken, please. |
| pescado | fish | Fresh fish from the sea. |
| fruta | fruit | Fruit is good for you. |
| manzana | apple | An apple a day. |
| plátano | banana | Bananas are yellow. |
| naranja | orange | Oranges have vitamin C. |
| verdura | vegetable | Eat your vegetables. |
| tomate | tomato | Tomato salad is fresh. |
| patata | potato | Mashed potatoes, please. |
| sopa | soup | Hot soup on a cold day. |
| ensalada | salad | A green salad with lunch. |
| sándwich | sandwich | Cheese sandwich, please. |
| pizza | pizza | Pizza for dinner tonight. |
| helado | ice cream | Ice cream in summer. |
| chocolate | chocolate | Dark chocolate is bitter. |
| pastel | cake | Birthday cake with candles. |
| restaurante | restaurant | Let's go to the restaurant. |
| menú | menu | Can I see the menu? |
| hambriento | hungry | I'm hungry. |
| sediento | thirsty | I'm thirsty. |
| delicioso | delicious | This food is delicious! |
What 'un café' actually gets you
Ask for un café in Spain and you will usually get a small, strong espresso, what a menu calls café solo. If you want it with milk, order café con leche, and for something in between, a cortado is an espresso cut with a splash of warm milk. The word café covers both the drink and the place you drink it in, the same way coffee and coffee shop overlap in English.
Cerveza, caña, and ordering a drink
Cerveza is the all-purpose word for beer, but in a Spanish bar you will more often ask for una caña, a small glass of draft beer poured fresh and drunk while it is still cold. Wine splits into vino tinto (red) and vino blanco (white). And zumo is your word for juice, with zumo de naranja the breakfast classic, freshly squeezed if you are lucky.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and when Spain eats
The three meals are desayuno (breakfast), almuerzo or comida (the midday meal), and cena (dinner). Notice that comida does double duty: it means food in general and also the main midday meal, which in Spain is the big one, eaten around two or three in the afternoon. Dinner runs late by many visitors' standards, often starting at nine at night. Plan your hunger accordingly, or you may find the kitchen closed.
Asking for the bill
When you are done, catch the waiter's eye and say la cuenta, por favor (the bill, please); in Spain it is rarely brought to the table until you ask. Food words have a quiet advantage for learners over almost any other set: you meet them several times a day, every day, so they tend to settle in faster than vocabulary you only ever see on a page. Read the menu, name what is on your plate, and the list takes care of itself.
Common questions
How do you order a coffee in Spain?
Ask for un café and you will get a small espresso, what a menu calls café solo. For coffee with milk, order café con leche; for an espresso with just a splash of milk, ask for a cortado.
What is the difference between una caña and una cerveza?
Cerveza is the general word for beer. Una caña is what you actually order in most Spanish bars: a small glass of draft beer, poured fresh and drunk quickly while it is cold.
Does comida mean food or lunch?
Both. Comida means food in general, and in Spain it also means the midday meal, traditionally the largest of the day and eaten in the early afternoon.
How do you ask for the bill in a Spanish restaurant?
Say la cuenta, por favor. In Spain the bill is rarely brought to the table until you ask for it, so you usually have to catch the waiter's eye first.
