tapas
/tapas/from spelling rulesfeminine, plural
tapas is the Spanish word for variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks.
tapas refers to small savoury food items or snacks. These were originally served with sherry but are now often served with other alcoholic beverages as well. You can use the idiomatic phrase ir de tapas to describe the social activity of going from bar to bar to eat small snacks and drink. When ordering in a bar or restaurant in Spain, you can say ponme una tapa, por favor or quiero una tapa de… to specify what you want.
Meaning: variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, such as Argentina or Uruguay, the term Las picadas is used to refer to tapas in an informal way. In northern Spain, particularly in the Basque Country, these small snacks are often called pinchos instead of tapas.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the word is una tapa. The plural form is tapas, which is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/tapas/
When do people say it?
In many parts of Spain, particularly in certain regions, a free tapa is served with certain drinks like beer or vermouth.
Did you know?
- The word tapas literally means 'lids' or 'covers'. Historically, a slice of ham or cheese was placed on top of a glass to keep flies and dust out of the drink.
- In some parts of Spain, the word tapa is actually a synonym for a 'trap' or 'plug'. This reflects the functional history of using food to cover a glass.
- The social ritual of moving from bar to bar to eat and drink is captured by the specific Spanish noun tapeo.
Examples in context
- No he tenido la suerte de probar las tapas, pero me consta que deben estar buenas tal y como estaba ayer la barra de gente.I haven't had a chance to try their tapas, but seeing how crowded the bar was, they must be good.This sentence uses tapas to show a context where someone mentions the quality of the snacks based on a crowded bar.Tatoeba #10567917 by DJ_Saidez, translation #10567919 by DJ_Saidez
- Pediremos unas tapas para compartir.We will order some tapas to share.
- Estas tapas están muy sabrosas.These tapas are very tasty.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are deciding what to eat at a bar.
- Mateo¿Quieres cenar algo fuerte o prefieres unas tapas?Do you want to eat something heavy or do you prefer some tapas?
- ElenaPrefiero unas tapas con una cerveza bien fría.I prefer some tapas with a very cold beer.
- MateoPerfecto, yo también tengo hambre de algo ligero.Perfect, I am also hungry for something light.
- ElenaVamos a la barra a pedir ahora.Let's go to the bar to order now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tapas” translations and entries tapas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
