comida ligera
/komida lixeɾa/from spelling rules
In Spanish, light food is comida ligera.
The phrase comida ligera is used to describe food that is easy to digest or low in calories. It is universally understood across Spanish-speaking regions.
Which one should you use?
While comida ligera generally refers to a light meal, you can use alimentos ligeros when you want to emphasize specific lighter food items rather than a full meal. The opposite of comida ligera is comida pesada, which describes food that is heavy, greasy or difficult to digest.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective ligera must agree in gender with the feminine noun comida. To refer to multiple light meals or different types of light food, you must pluralize both the noun and the adjective to form comidas ligeras.
Did you know?
- While comida ligera describes the food, the Spanish word ligero can also describe a person's temperament or a lack of seriousness, meaning 'frivolous'.
- In some Spanish-speaking countries, if you order comida ligera at a restaurant, you may be served a salpicón, which is a cold, refreshing salad of finely diced vegetables and meat.
- The word comida comes from the same Latin root as the English word 'comestible', which describes anything that can be eaten.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría algo de comida ligera, por favor.I would like some light food, please.
- Prefiero alimentos ligeros como ensaladas o sopas.I prefer lighter food like salads or soups.
- Vayamos a un lugar donde sirvan comida liviana.Let's go somewhere that serves light food.
- Para la cena, prefiero optar por comida sana y evitar platos pesados.For dinner, I prefer going for healthy food and avoiding heavy dishes.
- ¿Tienen alguna ensalada ligera?Do you have any light salads?
- Me gustaría probar una sopa baja en calorías.I would like to try a low-calorie soup.
- ¿Podría recomendarme una opción de comida ligera, por favor?Could you recommend me a light food option, please?
- ¿Tienes algún plato de comida ligera para recomendar?Do you have any light food dish to recommend?
- Para la cena, prefiero una comida ligera como una ensalada.For dinner, I prefer a light meal like a salad.
- El menú ofrece comida ligera y fresca.The menu offers light and fresh food.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- SofíaJavier, ¿quieres cenar algo pesado?Javier, do you want to eat something heavy for dinner?
- JavierNo, prefiero una comida ligera.No, I prefer a light meal.
- SofíaPodemos preparar una ensalada entonces.We can prepare a salad then.
- JavierPerfecto, me parece muy bien.Perfect, that sounds great to me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comida, CC BY-SA 4.0.
