Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| dulce | /ˈdulθe/ /ˈdulse/ |
| rico | /ˈriko/ |
| sabroso | /saˈbɾoso/ |
Dulce is used to describe a pleasant, sugary taste or to describe a person's personality as kind and gentle. If you are referring to a sugary confection, you can use dulce, caramelo or the informal chuche. To describe someone acting in a sweet manner, you can use the adverb dulcemente.
Which one should you use?
While dulce specifically refers to the taste of sugar, rico is often used colloquially to mean 'delicious' or 'tasty' when describing sweet foods. The term sabroso can also be used to describe something tasty.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the colloquial word guay can be used to convey 'sweet' in the sense of 'cool' or 'awesome'. Additionally, in Spain, chuches is a common informal way to refer to sweets or candies.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective dulce is invariant in gender, so it remains the same whether describing a masculine or feminine noun. To match plural nouns, use the plural form dulces.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdulθe/
Did you know?
- The informal word chuche is a shortened version of chuchería, which originally referred to small, insignificant trinkets or baubles.
- The English word 'dulcet', used to describe pleasant sounds, shares the same Latin root as the Spanish word dulce.
- In some Latin American countries, calling someone dulce can be seen as overly sentimental or childish compared to its use in Spain.
Examples in context
- Tom es muy dulce.Tom is very sweet.This example shows how to describe a person's personality using dulce.Tatoeba #1654628 by hayastan, translation #1650249 by Spamster
- Eso es tan dulce.That's so sweet.This example shows how to describe an object or situation as sweet using dulce.Tatoeba #1898704 by marcelostockle, translation #1897819 by CK
- El té está dulce.The tea is sweet.This example shows how to describe the taste of a beverage using dulce.Tatoeba #13558932 by Seael, translation #12536282 by sundown
- La torta de chocolate es muy dulce.The chocolate cake is very sweet.
- Su actitud hacia los demás es muy amable.Her attitude towards others is very sweet.
- Ese bebé es realmente encantador.That baby is truly sweet.
- Mi novio es muy cariñoso conmigo.My boyfriend is very sweet to me.
- ¡Qué lindo cachorro tienes!What a sweet puppy you have!
- 116 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are sharing a piece of cake in a cafe.
- Daniel¿Te gusta este pastel, Sofía?Do you like this cake, Sofía?
- SofíaSí, pero es un poco dulce para mí.Yes, but it is a bit sweet for me.
- DanielA mí me encanta su sabor dulce.I love its sweet flavor.
- SofíaEs rico, pero prefiero algo menos dulce.It is delicious, but I prefer something less sweet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sweet” translations and entries dulce, rico, sabroso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dulce, rico, sabroso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
