Food plays an important part in Spanish culture. Revise vocabulary to talk about foods, discuss restaurants and cooking, and order meals.
Spanish people usually eat much later than other Europeans, with lunch normally being eaten between 14:00 and 16:00 and dinner between 21:00 and 23:00. People in Barcelona tend to eat dinner around an hour earlier than those in Madrid, while in tourist resorts dinner is usually served from 19:00 or 20:00.
Here is some useful vocabulary to talk about meals.
el almuerzo | lunch |
la bebida | drink |
la cena | evening meal |
la comida | meal/lunch |
el desayuno | breakfast |
la merienda | afternoon snack |
Here are some useful verbs to talk about food.
almorzar | to have lunch |
beber | to drink |
cenar | to have dinner |
comer | to eat |
desayunar | to have breakfast |
merendar | to have an afternoon snack |
probar | to taste/try |
tener hambre/sed | to be hungry/thirsty |
tomar | to take/have |
Translate the following information about meal times into English.
La comida más grande del día es el almuerzo, que es normalmente entre las dos y las tres de la tarde. Hay un primer plato, por ejemplo una sopa, una ensalada o unas verduras, un segundo plato con carne o pescado y luego un postre.
The biggest meal of the day is lunch, which is normally between two and three in the afternoon. There is a starter, for example a soup, salad or vegetables, a main course with meat or fish and then a dessert.