bocadillos
/bokadiʝos/from spelling rules
The Spanish word for snacks is bocadillos.
bocadillos is used to refer to small portions of food eaten between regular meals. You can also use the noun picoteo to refer to the act of snacking or eating small bits of food shared among a group, often used to describe a social snacking session.
What does it mean word for word?
bocadillos is the plural of bocadillo, which is a diminutive of boca (mouth), literally meaning little mouths of food.
Which one should you use?
While bocadillos often refers to physical sandwiches or specific snack items, aperitivos is a more general term for light bites or appetizers eaten before a meal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Colombia, the term pasabocas is commonly used for snacks. In some countries like Mexico, golosinas can be used to refer specifically to sweet snacks or candies.
How do you pronounce it?
/bokadiʝos/
Did you know?
- The act of picoteo comes from the verb picar, which means 'to peck' like a bird.
- The custom of picoteo is often a strategic way to delay a main meal, which in Spain may not happen until 10 p.m.
- In Spain, a bocadillo is specifically a sandwich made with a crusty baguette, distinguishing it from a sándwich which uses sliced bread.
Examples in context
- Saburo se hizo de todos los bocadillos que se encontraban sobre la mesa.Saburo snatched up all the snacks that were sitting on the table.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use bocadillos in a context of grabbing food from a table.Tatoeba #1133055 by marcelostockle, translation #245010 by CN
- ¿Me puedes pasar los bocaditos, por favor?Can you pass me the snacks, please?
- Voy a comprar algunos tentempiés para el viaje.I'm going to buy some snacks for the trip.
- Después de la escuela, siempre me encanta comer botanas.After school, I always love to eat snacks.
- Vamos a ver una película y necesitamos algo de comida para picar.We're going to watch a movie, and we need some snacks.
- ¡Estos pasabocas son deliciosos!These snacks are delicious!
- Voy a comprar algunas golosinas para los niños en la fiesta.I'm going to buy some snacks for the kids at the party.
- Compré unos bocadillos para el viaje.I bought some snacks for the trip.
- ¿Quieres probar estos bocadillos salados?Do you want to try these salty snacks?
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are planning a movie night.
- SofíaVoy a comprar unos bocadillos para la película.I am going to buy some snacks for the movie.
- AlejandroPerfecto, yo traeré las bebidas.Perfect, I will bring the drinks.
- Sofía¿Quieres que compre bocadillos dulces?Do you want me to buy sweet snacks?
- AlejandroSí, por favor, me encantan.Yes, please, I love them.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
