How to Ask 'Is This Fresh?' and 'When Was This Picked?' in Spanish
Learn to ask whether produce is fresh and when it was picked, using ¿Está fresco? and ¿Cuándo se cosechó? with polite Latin American Spanish.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you buy fruit, vegetables, fish or bread in a Spanish-speaking market, the most useful question is not what the item is, but how fresh it is. This lesson teaches you two focused questions: how to ask 'Is this fresh?' and how to ask 'When was this picked?' You will learn the basic forms with estar, the verb cosechar, and a simple question with cuándo. All examples use broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with notes on regional differences.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether a fruit, vegetable or other product is fresh.
- ask when produce was picked or harvested.
- understand a short answer about freshness and picking time.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿Está fresco?
Is it fresh?
ehs-TAH FREHS-koh
Use for one masculine item, such as un mango or un pescado. The accent on está is required in this question.
¿Está fresca?
Is it fresh?
ehs-TAH FREHS-kah
Use for one feminine item, such as una manzana or una lechuga. Fresca ends in -a to match the noun.
¿Están frescos?
Are they fresh?
ehs-TAHN FREHS-kohs
Use for several masculine or mixed items, such as los tomates or los limones.
¿Cuándo se cosechó?
When was it picked? / When was it harvested?
KWAHN-doh seh koh-seh-CHOH
A general, slightly formal way to ask about one crop or product. Cosechar means to harvest or pick.
¿Cuándo lo cosecharon?
When did they pick it?
KWAHN-doh loh koh-seh-CHAH-rohn
More conversational. Lo refers to a masculine item; use la for a feminine item, as in ¿Cuándo la cosecharon?
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For freshness, use estar + fresco or fresca: ¿Está fresco el pan? 'Is the bread fresh?' ¿Está fresca la piña? 'Is the pineapple fresh?' The ending -o or -a matches the noun. For a group, use están frescos or están frescas: ¿Están frescas las fresas? 'Are the strawberries fresh?' For picking time, use cuándo + se cosechó or lo/la cosecharon: ¿Cuándo se cosechó el maíz? 'When was the corn harvested?' Note that the accent on está is required in these questions, and that se cosechó is singular while se cosecharon is plural.
When to use it
Use ¿Está fresco? with fish, bread, cheese or one piece of produce. Use ¿Está fresca? with feminine nouns like fruta, carne or lechuga. In a market, you can point and ask ¿Está fresco? or ¿Cuándo se cosechó? A vendor may answer Hoy se cosechó, 'It was picked today,' or Es de ayer, 'It's from yesterday.' If you are asking about several items, change to ¿Están frescos? or ¿Están frescas?. When the item is plural, the verb and adjective both change: ¿Cuándo se cosecharon estas manzanas? 'When were these apples picked?'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buenos días, ¿está fresco este pescado?
Good morning, is this fish fresh?BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs, ehs-TAH FREHS-koh EHS-teh pehs-KAH-dohSí, llegó hoy temprano.
Yes, it arrived early today.see, yeh-GOH oy tehm-PRAH-noh¿Y estas manzanas? ¿Cuándo se cosecharon?
And these apples? When were they picked?ee EHS-tahs mahn-SAH-nahs? KWAHN-doh seh koh-seh-CHAH-rohnSe cosecharon esta semana. Están frescas.
They were picked this week. They are fresh.seh koh-seh-CHAH-rohn EHS-tah seh-MAH-nah. ehs-TAHN FREHS-kahsA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American markets, asking about freshness is normal and practical, but tone matters. A direct ¿Está fresco? is fine with a vendor you are buying from. Adding por favor or disculpe softens it. In some regions, people say ¿Está tierno? for tender young vegetables, and in parts of the Caribbean and Mexico you may hear ¿Está nuevo? for recently made or harvested food. Listen for local words, but these standard questions work widely.
One thing to watch for
Using ser instead of estar: ¿Es fresco?
Try this instead: For freshness at a particular moment, use estar: ¿Está fresco? Ser can describe an inherent characteristic, but in a market question about this specific item, estar is the natural choice. Compare ¿Es fresco? 'It is fresh by nature' with ¿Está fresco? 'Is it fresh right now?'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask if one apple is fresh?
Show a sample answer
¿Está fresca?
Manzana is feminine, so the adjective becomes fresca. If you say ¿Está fresco? about a masculine item, that is also correct in the right context.
2How do you ask when several tomatoes were picked?
Show a sample answer
¿Cuándo se cosecharon?
Se cosecharon is the plural form. You could also ask ¿Cuándo los cosecharon? with los referring to los tomates.
3A vendor says 'Se cosechó ayer.' What does that mean?
Show a sample answer
It was picked yesterday.
Se cosechó is a passive-like construction meaning 'it was harvested.' Ayer means 'yesterday.' The answer tells you the produce is one day old.
Point to the item and ask ¿Está fresco? or ¿Está fresca? for freshness, and ¿Cuándo se cosechó? for picking time. Match fresco to the noun's gender and number, and listen for the vendor's answer.
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