muy picante
/mui pikante/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "very spicy" is translated as muy picante.
muy picante is used to describe food that possesses a strong, burning heat caused by chili peppers. It is important to distinguish between the heat of peppers and the presence of many aromatic spices. If you want to describe food that is rich in spices but not necessarily hot, you should use muy condimentado instead.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of muy, meaning "very" and picante, meaning "spicy" or "pungent".
Which one should you use?
While muy picante is the standard adjective phrase, you can also use the alternative expression pica mucho to convey that food is very spicy or that it stings a lot.
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing a noun that is plural, you must pluralize the adjective to match. For example, muy picantes would be the plural form used to describe multiple items.
Did you know?
- The verb picar in the phrase pica mucho also means 'to peck' like a bird or 'to sting' like an insect.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, picante can be used as a noun to refer to a spicy sauce or condiment rather than just an adjective.
- The word picante comes from the verb picar, which also means 'to sting' or 'to itch'. This is why you might use it to describe a physical sensation on your skin rather than just a flavor.
Examples in context
- Comimos un plato coreano muy picante.We ate a very spicy Korean dish.This sentence shows how to use muy picante to describe a specific dish.Tatoeba #6803508 by mervert1, translation #6803477 by mervert1
- La comida coreana es generalmente muy picante.Korean food is generally very spicy.This sentence uses muy picante to make a general statement about a type of cuisine.Tatoeba #816997 by ltsiros, translation #20812 by keaupuni
- Esta salsa es muy picanteThis sauce is very spicy.
- La salsa en este restaurante es picantísimaThe sauce at this restaurant is very spicy.
- Esta salsa está extremadamente picanteThis sauce is extremely spicy.
- Esa comida está increíblemente picosaThat food is incredibly spicy.
- ¡La salsa de este plato está ardiendo de picante!The sauce on this dish is burning with spiciness!
- Ten cuidado, esta salsa es muy picante.Be careful, this sauce is very spicy.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are eating at a Mexican restaurant.
- Lucía¿Te gusta la salsa de este taco, Javier?Do you like the sauce on this taco, Javier?
- JavierNo, para mí es muy picante.No, it is very spicy for me.
- LucíaLo siento, no sabía que era tan fuerte.I am sorry, I didn't know it was so strong.
- JavierNo te preocupes, la comida está muy buena.Don't worry, the food is very good.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
