Do you have a great story about food that you wish you could share in Spanish?

As we all know, talking about food is a favorite topic of conversation. No matter where we are or who we are with, there is always an opportunity to talk about food.

Think about it. It seems that many of the stories we tell connect to food in one way or another. So, if you are learning conversational Spanish, you need to know food vocabulary so that you can tell your story with confidence the next time you have an opportunity to interact with a native speaker.

Here are a few examples of conversations that you might want to be prepared to have in Spanish:

• You hear that a friend is sick. Well, I am sure that you will want to share your perfect advise for a certain kind of good soup recipe that makes illnesses go away!
• You are talking about a friend’s wedding that you attended last month. As the conversation progresses, there is a chance that someone might ask you about what kind of dinner was served or how good the cake was.
• You invite your Spanish-speaking friend over for dinner and serve your mom’s famous apple pie. You need to be ready to share the recipe!

Need a few more scenarios? Here a just some of the many situations in which the topic of food will arise in conversations with Spanish native speakers:

• You and your friend are looking for a good restaurant to go on a Friday night. Which one would you recommend and why?
• The office is having a potluck. What are you going to bring?
• You are talking about your childhood and suddenly remembered your favorite Summer treat. Can you explain what it was to your Spanish speaking neighbor?
• It is Thanksgiving and you want to invite some friends from Mexico to be a part of your celebration. Can you describe all the dishes in Spanish?

Well, we could go on and on. So instead of waiting for the day in which you need to tell your favorite food story in Spanish, why not start practicing today so that you can be ready?

All you need to do to be ready is follow this three simple steps:

1) Learn some key Spanish Food Vocabulary:

Of course, you will need to look up the vocabulary related to your particular story. However, here is a quick list to help you remember some of the words you learned in your last Spanish class:

Frutas:

la piña – the pinaple

la sandía – the watermelon

las uvas – the grapes

la pera – the pear

la naranja – the orange

la fresa – the strawberry

la banana – the banana

Verduras:

la lechuga – the lettuce

el maíz – the corn

la papa – the potato

la cebolla – the onion

los frijoles – the beans

el pepino – the cucumber

el tomate – the tomato

2) Learn a few of the Spanish Phrases that might come up when having a conversation in Spanish:

If you are talking about food in Spanish, sooner or later, you will be asked what your favorite food is. So, start memorizing some of the phrases that could come up during the conversation, such as:

Mi comida favorita es … My favorite food is…

Los ingredientes de esta comida son… The ingredients of this dish are …

En mi casa, generalmente comemos… At my house, we generally eat …

3) Learn how to ask a few questions in Spanish about food:

¿Cuál es tu comida favorita? What is your favorite food?

¿Cuáles son los ingredientes de esa comida? What are the ingredients of this dish?

¿Me puedes dar la receta de esa comida? Can you give me the recipe for this dish?

Finally, here is the “secret ingredient” or Spanish tip of the day:

Watch a video of a native speaker talking about food and use the video as a learning tool to improve both your understanding of Spanish in real conversations and your Spanish pronunciation.

Ready to get started? Watch the video of a native speaker from Puerto Rico talking about one of her favorite foods. Enjoy!