pecho
everyday, Mexico
In Mexico "breast" is pecho for the chest and seno for a woman's breast. For poultry meat, such as chicken breast, Mexicans say pechuga.
Meaning: the chest or the breast of a person or bird (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mexican | Note |
|---|---|
| pecho | everyday, Mexico |
| seno | neutral |
| pechuga | chicken or turkey |
Seno is the neutral and medical word, as in cáncer de seno. Pecho is the more general word and is also used for the chest of any person.
Which one should you use?
At a market or restaurant pechuga de pollo is the standard way to ask for chicken breast. Using pecho there would sound odd.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Mexico also has many informal and joking words for this body part, but they are not polite, so seno and pecho are the safe choices.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, pechuga is also used jokingly in some places for a large chest, but on a Mexican menu it only means poultry breast.
Examples in context
- La pechuga de pollo está deliciosa.The chicken breast is delicious.
- Me duele el pecho.My chest hurts.
- Fue a hacerse una revisión del seno.She went for a breast check-up.
Example conversation
Marta orders lunch from the cook at a fonda in Oaxaca.
- MartaBuenas tardes, ¿qué hay de comer?Good afternoon, what is there to eat?
- CocineraHay pechuga de pollo con arroz.There is chicken breast with rice.
- MartaMe da una, por favor.I will have one, please.
