Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cereal | /θeɾeˈal/ /seɾeˈal/ |
masculine |
| cereales | /θeɾeales/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /seɾeales/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine, plural |
| mies | /ˈmjes/ | feminine |
The word refers to grains of such a grass. While cereal can be used as a singular mass noun to refer to breakfast cereal, you will more frequently encounter the plural cereales on grocery store packaging and signs to denote the food product. Additionally, the term avena refers to oats, but it is widely used across Spanish-speaking regions to refer to oatmeal.
Which one should you use?
The masculine singular form cereal can refer to the food product as a mass noun, whereas the masculine plural cereales is commonly used to refer to cereal in general or as seen on product packaging. There is also the feminine form mies.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term cereal is a masculine noun. Its plural form is cereales. The term mies is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/θeɾeˈal/
Did you know?
- While cereal is used for grains, Spanish uses the distinct word legumbres for pulses like lentils and chickpeas, which are often grouped together in English as 'grains and legumes'.
- The word cereal is derived from the name of the Roman goddess Ceres, who presided over agriculture and grains.
- While cereal describes the grain itself, the word mies specifically refers to the grain while it is still standing in the field ready for harvest.
Examples in context
- La soja es un cereal.Soya is a cereal.This sentence uses cereal to identify soya as a type of grain.Tatoeba #7122231 by arh, translation #7895037 by helloroto
- El maíz es un cereal.Corn is a cereal.This sentence uses cereal to identify corn as a type of grain.Tatoeba #7122233 by arh, translation #9181885 by Nylez
- La cebada es un cereal.Barley is a cereal.This sentence uses cereal to identify barley as a type of grain.Tatoeba #7122229 by arh, translation #9788547 by helloroto
- Ella siempre desayuna un tazón de cereal.She always has a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
- En el supermercado, puedes encontrar varios tipos de cereales.At the supermarket, you can find various types of cereals.
- ¿Quieres un tazón de cereal con leche?Do you want a bowl of cereal with milk?
- Siempre empiezo mi día con un cuenco de cereal.I always start my day with a bowl of cereal.
- Me encanta comer avena en el desayuno. Es mi cereal favorito.I love eating oatmeal for breakfast. It's my favorite cereal.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A conversation at a grocery store about healthy food.
- LucíaBusco un cereal que no tenga mucha azúcar.I am looking for a cereal that doesn't have much sugar.
- AlejandroEste cereal de avena es muy bueno.This oat cereal is very good.
- LucíaGracias, Alejandro, lo voy a probar.Thanks, Alejandro, I am going to try it.
- AlejandroEspero que te guste mucho.I hope you like it a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cereal” translations and entries cereal, cereales, mies, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cereal, mies, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
