té chai
/te t͡ʃai/from spelling rules
The English phrase "chai tea" is translated into Spanish as té chai.
The term refers to a type of black tea brewed with aromatic spices and milk.
Which one should you use?
While té chai is a direct way to name the drink, you may also encounter Té de Especias (spice tea), which is commonly understood as chai tea. In some Spanish-speaking countries, it is popular to use the term Infusión de chai. If the drink is specifically served with steamed milk, you can use Té chai latte.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is a masculine noun phrase, so it uses the masculine article el (e.g., el té chai).
How do you pronounce it?
/te tʃai/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, using the word infusión instead of té is a legal or technical distinction, as té must strictly come from the plant Camellia sinensis.
- The word té shares a distant common ancestor with the English word 'tea', but it actually traces back to the Hokkien Chinese word tê rather than the Mandarin 'cha'.
- While English speakers often say 'chai tea' as a redundancy, a Spanish speaker using té chai is committing the exact same linguistic error. In both languages, the word 'chai' already means 'tea' in its original language.
Examples in context
- El té chai a menudo contiene cardamomo.Chai tea often contains cardamom.This sentence is useful for showing that té chai often contains cardamom.Tatoeba #10944132 by DJ_Saidez, translation #483699 by adjusting
- Me gusta mucho el té chai caliente.I really like hot chai tea.
- ¿Quieres pedir un té chai con leche?Do you want to order a chai tea with milk?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are at a local cafe.
- AlejandroElena, ¿qué vas a tomar?Elena, what are you going to drink?
- ElenaCreo que pediré un té chai.I think I will order a chai tea.
- AlejandroEs una buena elección, es muy aromático.It is a good choice, it is very aromatic.
- ElenaSí, y también me encanta el sabor de las especias.Yes, and I also love the taste of the spices.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries té, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
