carne
/ˈkaɾne/feminine
The English word "meat" is translated into Spanish as carne.
carne is used to refer to animal flesh used as food, but it also serves as the standard word for the biological tissue of an animal or human flesh.
Meaning: animal flesh used as food (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the term asado is used to refer to grilled and barbecued meats, primarily beef.
How does it change in a sentence?
carne is a feminine noun and requires the feminine article la when used as "the meat" (la carne).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkaɾne/
Did you know?
- The term 'carne de cañón' is a common idiom used to describe 'cannon fodder', or people who are easily sacrificed in a conflict.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, carne is often used as a shorthand for beef specifically, while other meats are named by the animal.
- The Spanish word carne is a cognate of the English word 'carnal', which describes physical or bodily appetites.
Examples in context
- Es carne de mono.It's monkey meat.This sentence uses carne to identify the type of animal meat.Tatoeba #1119551 by Shishir, translation #1117904 by Scott
- Me comí la carne.I ate the meat.This sentence uses carne to refer to specific meat that was eaten.Tatoeba #4505700 by cueyayotl, translation #2629267 by CK
- Es carne de rata.It's rat meat.Tatoeba #4538903 by cueyayotl, translation #2697098 by CM
- Quisiera un plato de carne, por favorI would like a meat dish, please
- Necesito medio kilo de carne de resI need half a kilo of beef
- Me gustaría probar la carne de cerdo asadaI would like to try the roasted pork
- Por favor, me podría traer unas costillas de carne de corderoCould you please bring me some lamb chops?
- Vamos a hacer una parrillada con mucha carneWe are going to have a barbecue with a lot of meat
- Una chuleta, por favorOne pork chop, please
- Voy a cocinar unos ricos bistecs a la parrillaI'm going to cook some delicious grilled steaks
- 297 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are grocery shopping together.
- Javier¿Compramos carne para la cena?Should we buy meat for dinner?
- ElenaSí, pero no compres carne de cerdo.Yes, but don't buy pork meat.
- JavierEstá bien, buscaré carne de ternera.Okay, I will look for beef.
- ElenaPerfecto, esa carne es muy buena.Perfect, that meat is very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meat” translations and entries carne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
