A Guide To Cooking Vocabulary In Spanish

• Learn essential Spanish words for tableware and cutlery, including el cuchillo ("knife"), el tenedor ("fork"), la cuchara ("spoon"), and more.

• Pick up practical phrases to use in the kitchen and at the table, from ¿Sabes cocinar bien? to ¿Cocinamos juntos esta noche?, as well as instructions like poner la mesa ("set the table") and sacar brillo ("polish").

• Get kitchen appliance vocabulary and regional variants, like la cocina ("stove"), el frigorífico ("Europe") vs. el refrigerador (Latin America), el congelador (freezer), el lavavajillas (dishwasher), and la tostadora (toaster).

• See example sentences that show how to use the vocabulary naturally, including differences in placement and usage (e.g., forks left or right) and common contexts like serving soup in a bowl.

When you’re learning a new language, you might not think to start in the kitchen. And true, the very first vocab in Spanish you should learn is probably going to be things like saying hello and making simple conversation. And you’ll want to know how to talk about Spanish food, of course, but do you really need to know how to say spoon in Spanish right away? We’d argue that the kitchen is an excellent place to study, though. First of all, you likely already spend time in the kitchen, and being able to name the things around you — the dishwasher, the stove — is an important way to build your Spanish world. Second, if you’re planning to go to a Spanish-speaking restaurant, you’ll probably want to know how to ask for cutlery.

To help you set your linguistic table, we’ve put together a guide to the Spanish kitchen. We cover the most important silverware and kitchen appliances. You can also check out the video below to see Babbel Spanish expert Esteban giving a more thorough tour of his kitchen in Spanish. And when you’re ready to learn more, you can keep learning Spanish with Babbel!

Cutlery In Spanish: How To Say Fork, Knife And Spoon In Spanish

the dish — la vajilla [lah vah-HEE-yah]

the plate — el plato [el PLAH-toh]

the knife — el cuchillo [el koo-CHEE-yoh]

the fork — el tenedor [el teh-neh-DOR]

the spoon — la cuchara [lah koo-CHA-rah]

the glass — el vaso [el VAH-soh]

the bowl — el cuenco [el KWEN-koh]

the teaspoon — la cucharilla [lah koo-cha-REE-yah]

the cup — la taza [lah TAH-sah]

the bottle — la botella [lah boh-TEH-yah]

the cutlery — la cubertería [lah koo-behr-teh-REE-ah]

the tray — la bandeja [lah bahn-DEH-hah]

the chopsticks — los palillos para comer [los pah-LEE-yohs PAH-rah koh-MER]

the saucer — el platillo [el plah-TEE-yoh]

the tablecloth — el mantel [el mahn-TEL]

the place setting — el cubierto [el koo-BYEHR-toh]

the china — la porcelana [lah por-seh-LAH-nah]

to set the table — poner la mesa [poh-NER lah MEH-sah]

to polish — sacar brillo [sah-KAR BREE-yoh]

More Cooking Vocabulary In Spanish

the kitchen — la cocina [la koh-SEE-nah]

the household appliance — el electrodoméstico [el eh-lek-troh-doh-MES-tee-koh]

the stove — la cocina [la koh-SEE-nah]

the refrigerator — el frigorífico [el free-goh-REE-fee-koh] (Europe)

the fridge — el refrigerador [el reh-free-heh-rah-DOR] (Latin America)

the freezer — el congelador [el kon-heh-lah-DOR]

the dishwasher — el lavavajillas [el lah-vah-vah-HEE-yas]

the toaster — la tostadora [lah toh-stah-DOH-rah]

Useful Phrases For The Kitchen In Spanish

Can you cook well? — ¿Sabes cocinar bien?

Do you like spicy food? — ¿Te gusta la comida picante?

Shall we cook together tonight? — ¿Cocinamos juntos esta noche?

We’ve borrowed tableware from my parents – our plates and cutlery aren’t nice enough. — Pedimos prestada a mis padres esta vajilla; nuestros platos y cubiertos no son suficientemente bonitos.

A plate is a flat dish that you eat from. — Un plato es una pieza plana de la vajilla usada para comer.

This knife isn’t sharp enough to cut butter! — ¡Este cuchillo no está lo suficientemente afilado para cortar mantequilla!

A fork can be two, three or four pronged. — Un tenedor puede tener dos, tres o cuatro dientes.

Spoons are good for eating soup and ice cream. — Las cucharas son adecuadas para tomar una sopa o un helado.

Don’t drink from the bottle, use a glass! — ¡No bebas de la botella, coge un vaso!

Soup is usually served in a bowl. — La sopa suele servirse en un cuenco.

It’s such a special occasion, let’s use the wedding china. — Esta es una ocasión muy especial, usemos la vajilla de porcelana de la boda.

I don’t know how to set the table. Do the forks go on the right or on the left? — No sé cómo se pone la mesa. ¿Los tenedores se colocan al lado derecho o al izquierdo?

Polish the silver before you set the table this evening. — Saca brillo a los cubiertos de plata antes de poner la mesa esta noche.

I’ve just fried some eggs on the stove. — Acabo de freír un par de huevos en la cocina.

A fridge keeps food cool. — Un frigorífico conserva fría la comida.

Could you get the ice cream out of the freezer? — ¿Podrías sacar el helado del congelador?

Can you take the clean plates out of the dishwasher? — ¿Podrías sacar los platos limpios del lavavajillas?