desayuno, almuerzo y cena
/desaˈʝuno alˈmweɾθo i ˈθena/word by word
To say "breakfast, lunch and dinner" in Spanish, say desayuno, almuerzo y cena.
These are the three main meals of the day. desayuno is breakfast, almuerzo is lunch and cena is dinner.
Which one should you use?
almuerzo is the standard word for lunch, but in some places it means a mid morning snack, while the main midday meal is called la comida.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many parts of Spain and Mexico people call the main midday meal comida instead of almuerzo.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you talk about the meals as daily events, they usually take articles, as in el desayuno, el almuerzo y la cena. Spanish also has a verb for eating each meal, desayunar, almorzar, cenar, so you rarely say you eat breakfast with a separate verb.
How do you pronounce it?
The phrase is pronounced /desaˈʝuno alˈmweɾθo i ˈθena/. In Latin America the th sounds are said like an s.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Instead of saying you eat dinner word for word, use the single verb for the meal, as in cenar.
Did you know?
- The word desayuno literally means 'un-fasting'. It comes from the prefix des- meaning 'un-' and ayuno, meaning 'fast'.
- In some regions, the meal sequence is expanded to include la merienda, a light afternoon snack eaten between el almuerzo and la cena.
- The word almuerzo is a distant relative of the English word 'morsel', both stemming from the Latin word for 'biting'.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are discussing their meal planning.
- MaríaPlanifiqué el desayuno, almuerzo y cena para la semana.I planned breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the week.
- Daniel¡Qué bien, María! ¿Necesitas ayuda con eso?That's great, María! Do you need help with that?
- MaríaSí, Daniel. Podemos ir al mercado juntos.Yes, Daniel. We can go to the market together.
- DanielMe parece perfecto, vamos mañana.Sounds perfect, let's go tomorrow.
