lactosa
/laɡˈtosa/feminine
Lactose is lactosa in Spanish.
lactosa refers to the disaccharide sugar found in milk and dairy products. You will often see it used in the noun phrase intolerancia a la lactosa to describe lactose intolerance.
Meaning: disaccharide sugar of milk and dairy products (noun)
Which one should you use?
lactosa is the standard term for lactose, while azúcar de leche is an informal variation meaning milk sugar.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun lactosa is feminine. When referring to 'the lactose', you use the feminine article la, resulting in la lactosa.
How do you pronounce it?
/laɡˈtosa/
Did you know?
- The word lactosa is a doublet of the Spanish word lechoso, which means 'milky'. Both words share the same Latin root lactem, meaning 'milk'.
- In Spanish, the word lactosa shares a root with lactancia, the word for breastfeeding, linking the chemical sugar to the biological act of nursing.
- The suffix -osa in lactosa is used throughout Spanish to describe something characterized by a quality, such as estupendosa meaning 'wonderful'.
Examples in context
- Soy intolerante a la lactosa.I'm lactose intolerant.This sentence is useful for stating that you are lactose intolerant using lactosa.Tatoeba #10696445 by Shishir, translation #915840 by papabear
- ¿Es usted intolerante a la lactosa?Are you lactose intolerant?This sentence is useful for asking someone if they are lactose intolerant using lactosa.Tatoeba #9926447 by Shishir, translation #9853847 by NurseMeeks
- Muchos asiáticos tienen intolerancia a la lactosa.Many Asians are lactose intolerant.This sentence is useful for noting that many Asians have lactose intolerance using lactosa.Tatoeba #1753930 by Shishir, translation #1752320 by Spamster
- Sí, no puedo digerir la lactosa correctamente.Yes, I can't digest lactose properly.
- Lleva azúcar de leche, pero no tiene lactosa.It contains milk sugar, but it's lactose-free.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are at a cafe looking at the dessert menu.
- Javier¿Este postre tiene lactosa?Does this dessert have lactose?
- MaríaNo estoy segura, pero creo que sí.I am not sure, but I think so.
- JavierEntonces no lo pediré.Then I won't order it.
- MaríaEs mejor evitar la lactosa si te sienta mal.It is better to avoid lactose if it makes you feel unwell.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lactose” translations and entries lactosa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lactosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
