cuchara, tenedor y cuchillo
/kuˈt͡ʃaɾa teneˈdoɾ i kuˈt͡ʃiʝo/word by word
To say spoon, fork and knife in Spanish, use cuchara, tenedor y cuchillo.
cuchara, tenedor y cuchillo lists the three basic eating utensils. To refer to the set as a whole, Spanish uses cubiertos, meaning cutlery or silverware.
What does it mean word for word?
cuchara means spoon, tenedor means fork and cuchillo means knife. The word y means and.
How does it change in a sentence?
The conjunction y appears only before the last item, and Spanish puts no comma before it.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /kuˈtʃaɾa teneˈdoɾ i kuˈtʃiʝo/. The double l in cuchillo sounds close to the English y in yes.
Did you know?
- The root of cuchara comes from the Latin cochlea, which means 'snail shell', referring to the shape of early spoons.
- While cubiertos is the general term for cutlery, the word literally means 'covered' or 'covered things', referring to the traditional way the table was 'covered' with a cloth and tools.
- The word tenedor is a literal description of what the object does: it comes from the verb tener, which means 'to have', making a fork a 'holder' or something that 'has' things.
Examples in context
- Necesito una cuchara, tenedor y cuchillo.I need a spoon, fork, and knife.
- Olvidé mi cuchara, tenedor y cuchillo en casa.I forgot my spoon, fork, and knife at home.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are setting the dinner table.
- Daniel¿Dónde está la cuchara, tenedor y cuchillo?Where is the spoon, fork, and knife?
- MaríaEstán todos en el cajón.They are all in the drawer.
- DanielGracias, voy a buscarlos ahora.Thanks, I'm going to look for them now.
- MaríaPerfecto, Daniel, yo sirvo la cena.Perfect, Daniel, I'll serve dinner.
