sabroso
/saˈbɾoso/
The Spanish word for zesty is sabroso.
The adjective sabroso is used to describe food that has a piquant, pungent or spicy taste.
Meaning: having a piquant or pungent taste, spicy (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use the feminine form sabrosa for feminine nouns, the masculine plural form sabrosos for masculine or mixed-gender groups and the feminine plural form sabrosas for groups of feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/saˈbɾoso/
Did you know?
- While sabroso can mean 'zesty', in many Spanish-speaking countries, calling a person sabroso or sabrosa is a common way to say they are 'sexy' or 'physically attractive'.
- In some Caribbean dialects, sabroso is frequently used in music lyrics, particularly in salsa and merengue, to describe the 'flavor' or soul of the rhythm rather than food.
- The word sabroso shares its Latin root with the English word 'sapid', which refers to something having a strong or pleasant flavor.
Examples in context
- La salsa tiene un sabor sabroso y picante.The sauce has a zesty and spicy flavor.
- Esta salsa es muy sabrosa.This sauce is very tasty/zesty.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are tasting a new dish at dinner.
- DanielPrueba este pollo, María.Taste this chicken, María.
- María¡Wow, está muy sabroso!Wow, it is very zesty!
- Daniel¿Tiene mucho limón?Does it have a lot of lemon?
- MaríaSí, eso lo hace sabroso.Yes, that makes it zesty.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry sabroso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sabroso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
