efervescente
/efeɾbesˈθente/
In Spanish, the English adjective 'sparkling' when referring to a beverage is translated as efervescente or espumoso.
Meaning: of a beverage (adj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| efervescente | /efeɾbesˈθente/ /efeɾbeˈsente/ |
| espumoso | /espuˈmoso/ |
While efervescente is a valid adjective, native speakers almost always use the phrase agua con gas to refer to sparkling water.
Which one should you use?
Use efervescente to describe the physical chemical process of bubbles in a liquid, similar to the English word effervescent. Use espumoso when referring to sparkling wines or beverages that produce foam or bubbles.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the term agua mineral con gas is used to refer to sparkling water. In Spain, agua con gas is commonly used to refer to sparkling water. In some Latin American countries, the term gaseosa might be used to describe carbonated beverages.
How do you pronounce it?
/efeɾbesˈθente/
Did you know?
- Spanish has a specific word chispeante for 'sparkling' when describing a lively personality or a witty conversation, which is entirely separate from the terms for beverages.
- The word efervescente is commonly used in Spanish pharmacies to describe pastillas efervescentes, which are tablets that dissolve in water with bubbles.
- The word espuma, which is the root of espumoso, is the distant relative of the English literary word 'spume', used to describe the frothy foam on ocean waves.
Examples in context
- Me gustan los vinos espumosos y afrutados.I like sparkling and fruity wines.This sentence shows how to use the form espumoso when talking about wine.Tatoeba #436736 by lukaszpp, translation #436735 by lukaszpp
- Me gustaría una botella de agua espumosa, por favorI would like a bottle of sparkling water, please
- Quisiera un refresco gaseoso, por favorI would like a sparkling soda, please
- Esa bebida está bien chispeanteThat drink is really sparkling
- Este vino blanco es burbujeanteThis white wine is sparkling
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are ordering drinks at a cafe.
- AlejandroElena, ¿quieres agua natural o efervescente?Elena, do you want still or sparkling water?
- ElenaPrefiero la efervescente, por favor.I prefer sparkling, please.
- AlejandroPerfecto, pediré dos botellas.Perfect, I'll order two bottles.
- ElenaGracias, Alejandro.Thank you, Alejandro.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sparkling” translations and entries efervescente, espumoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries efervescente, espumoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
