Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sopa | /ˈsopa/ | feminine |
| caldo | /ˈkaldo/ | masculine |
sopa refers to a completed soup dish, which may contain various solids. To specify the type of soup, use the structure sopa de followed by the ingredient, such as sopa de pollo (chicken soup). Common variations include Gazpacho, a cold tomato-based soup and Sopa de ajo, a garlic soup typically served with eggs and bread. You can use the verb cocinar sopa to mean to cook soup, servir sopa to mean to serve soup or tomar sopa to mean to have soup.
Which one should you use?
sopa refers to a finished soup dish that may contain solids, whereas caldo refers specifically to a broth or a clear liquid base.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries like Mexico, crema is used to refer to a creamy or pureed soup. In Spain, puchero is used to describe a traditional, hearty stew. Additionally, Cocido refers to a hearty meat and vegetable stew often served with broth.
How does it change in a sentence?
sopa is a feminine noun. Its plural form is sopas. caldo is a masculine noun. Its plural form is caldos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsopa/
Did you know?
- The term sopa is used in Spanish to describe a variety of things that are not liquid, such as sopa de letras for a word search puzzle.
- While sopa is the general term, many Spanish cultures distinguish between the liquid part and the solids, sometimes serving the caldo first and the solids separately.
- The word sopa shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'sop', which refers to a piece of bread soaked in liquid.
Examples in context
- Es sopa de tomate.It’s tomato soup.This sentence is useful for identifying the type of soup using sopa.Tatoeba #9993880 by manufrutos, translation #10010526 by Swalis
- La sopa sabe a ajo.The soup tastes of garlic.This sentence is useful for describing the flavor of the sopa.Tatoeba #1813559 by marcelostockle, translation #60992 by shekitten
- Me encanta la sopa.I love soup.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for sopa.Tatoeba #3562830 by ficion, translation #3330175 by CK
- Me gustaría una sopa de verduras, por favor.I would like a vegetable soup, please.
- ¿Podría traerme un caldo de pollo?Could you bring me a chicken soup?
- ¿Me calientas un poquito de sopita, por favor?Could you warm up a little bit of soup for me, please?
- En mi país, el potaje de lentejas es muy popular.In my country, lentil soup is very popular.
- 168 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are having lunch at home.
- JavierElena, ¿te gusta la sopa?Elena, do you like the soup?
- ElenaSí, Javier, la sopa está deliciosa.Yes, Javier, the soup is delicious.
- JavierQué bueno, preparé mucha sopa.That's good, I made a lot of soup.
- ElenaGracias, es un plato excelente.Thank you, it is an excellent dish.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soup” translations and entries sopa, caldo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caldo, sopa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
