cocinar
/koθiˈnaɾ/
The Spanish phrase cocinar means to cook.
cocinar is used for the general process of preparing a meal. This distinguishes it from preparar, which is often used for more general food preparation such as making a salad or a sandwich.
Which one should you use?
While cocinar refers to the act of preparing food, it is distinct from cocer, which specifically means to boil or to boil something in water.
How does it change in a sentence?
cocinar is a regular -ar verb, which means it follows standard conjugation patterns. Its forms include cocino, cocinas, cocina, cocinamos and cocinan.
How do you pronounce it?
/koθiˈnaɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, cocinar is used as slang to mean 'to manufacture drugs', mirroring the English use of the word 'cook'.
- The word cocina refers to both the 'kitchen' as a room and the 'stove' as an appliance.
- The word cocinero is used for a professional chef, but in some contexts, a high-ranking head chef is specifically called a chef using the French loanword.
Examples in context
- En nuestra empresa, tenemos chefs profesionales que preparan comidas exquisitas.In our company, we have professional chefs who cook exquisite meals.
- Me gusta cocinar para mi familia.I like to cook for my family.
- ¿Quieres cocinar la cena hoy?Do you want to cook dinner today?
- Él sabe cocinar muy bien.He knows how to cook very well.
Example conversation
María and Javier are deciding who prepares dinner.
- MaríaTengo mucha hambre, ¿qué vamos a cenar?I am very hungry, what are we having for dinner?
- JavierNo lo sé, ¿quieres cocinar tú?I don't know, do you want to cook?
- MaríaNo, prefiero descansar hoy.No, I prefer to rest today.
- JavierEstá bien, yo voy a cocinar.That's fine, I will cook.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cocinar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cocinar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
