cebolletas
/θeboʝetas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "spring onions" is cebolletas in Spanish.
cebolletas refers to the type of small onion with a long green stem used as a vegetable.
Which one should you use?
While cebolletas refers specifically to the vegetable with the long green stem, cebolla refers to the standard bulb onion.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, cebolletas is the standard term for spring onions. In many parts of Latin America, particularly Mexico, cebollines is often used to refer to spring onions or similar green onions.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form is cebolleta, which is used when referring to a single onion or the type of vegetable in a non-plural context.
How do you pronounce it?
/θeboʝetas/
Did you know?
- The word cebolla is a linguistic relative of the English word 'shallot'. Both terms evolved from the same ancient root to describe various types of alliums.
- The suffix -eta in cebolleta is a diminutive. In Spanish, this is not just for size, but is often used to differentiate a specific variety of a plant from its parent species.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, cebolla de verdeo is used instead of cebolletas. The term 'verdeo' refers to the 'greening' process, emphasizing the plant's color rather than its size.
Examples in context
- Me gustaría comprar cebolletas para la ensaladaI would like to buy spring onions for the salad
- Voy a picar cebollino para la tortillaI'm going to chop some spring onions for the omelet
- Necesito comprar cebolletas para la ensalada.I need to buy spring onions for the salad.
- Las cebolletas están muy frescas en el mercado.The spring onions are very fresh at the market.
- Corta las cebolletas en trozos pequeños.Cut the spring onions into small pieces.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are shopping in a grocery store.
- Daniel¿Ves las cebolletas en el estante?Do you see the spring onions on the shelf?
- MaríaSí, las tengo aquí en la cesta.Yes, I have them here in the basket.
- DanielPerfecto, son para la sopa de hoy.Perfect, they are for today's soup.
- MaríaMuy bien, Daniel, vamos a la caja.Very well, Daniel, let's go to the checkout.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
