carne blanca
/ˌkaɾne ˈblanka/feminine
The English phrase "white meat" is translated into Spanish as carne blanca.
The term refers to light-coloured meat.
Meaning: light-coloured meat (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of carne (meat) and blanca (white).
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun carne is feminine. Therefore, when using the definite article, you must use la carne blanca for "the white meat". To express the plural "white meats", both the noun and the adjective must agree in gender and number, resulting in carnes blancas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌkaɾne ˈblanka/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American regions, if you order carne without any adjective, the waiter will almost always assume you mean beef, regardless of other 'meats' on the menu.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the term carne is used in a phrase to describe the flesh of a fruit, such as the 'meat' of an avocado.
- The Spanish word carne is a cognate of the English word 'carnal', as both derive from the Latin 'carnem' meaning 'flesh'.
Examples in context
- Solo como carne blanca.I only eat white meat.Tatoeba #1153631 by alexmarcelo, translation #10831730 by SillyDonut7
- Ella come únicamente carne blanca.She eats but white meat.Tatoeba #1153639 by alexmarcelo, translation #2023588 by halfb1t
- ¿Qué prefieres, carne blanca o carne roja?What do you prefer, white meat or red meat?
- El pollo es un tipo de carne blanca.Chicken is a type of white meat.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are deciding what to cook for dinner.
- Daniel¿Prefieres la carne roja o la carne blanca?Do you prefer red meat or white meat?
- LucíaPrefiero la carne blanca, como el pavo.I prefer white meat, like turkey.
- DanielEstá bien, cocinaré pechuga de pollo para ti.That's fine, I will cook chicken breast for you.
- LucíaGracias, Daniel, eso suena muy saludable.Thanks, Daniel, that sounds very healthy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “white meat” translations and entries carne blanca, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
