How to Say Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snack in Spanish (and When You Eat Them)
Learn the Spanish names for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack, plus simple phrases for saying when each meal happens.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn the four everyday Spanish words for meals and, just as importantly, how to say when you eat them. The focus is on timing, not on specific foods: you will practice asking and answering questions like "¿A qué hora desayunas?" (What time do you have breakfast?) and "¿Cuándo cenas?" (When do you have dinner?). All examples use broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with regional notes where usage changes.
By the end, you can…
- name breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack in Spanish.
- say at what time I eat each meal using simple present-tense verbs.
- ask another person when they eat a particular meal.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
el desayuno
breakfast
el deh-sah-YOO-noh
The first meal of the day, usually in the morning. The related verb is desayunar.
el almuerzo
lunch (midday meal)
el al-MWEHR-soh
In most of Latin America this is the main midday meal. The related verb is almorzar.
la cena
dinner, the evening meal
lah SEH-nah
Usually eaten in the evening. The related verb is cenar.
la merienda
afternoon snack
lah meh-RYEN-dah
A light snack between lunch and dinner. In some countries botana or refrigerio is used for a snack.
¿A qué hora desayunas?
What time do you have breakfast?
ah keh OH-rah deh-sah-YOO-nahs
Use desayunas when speaking informally to one person; use desayuna for formal usted.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To say when you eat a meal, use a meal verb in the present tense plus a time expression: "Desayuno a las siete" (I have breakfast at seven), "Almuerzo a mediodía" (I have lunch at noon), "Ceno a las ocho de la noche" (I have dinner at eight in the evening). For a snack, the most natural options are "Como algo a media tarde" (I have a little something in the afternoon) or "Tomo una merienda" (I have an afternoon snack); "Como una merienda" is less idiomatic because comer normally takes a food, not the meal name. Time expressions like a las... (at ... o'clock), por la mañana (in the morning), por la tarde (in the afternoon) and por la noche (at night) fit naturally after the verb.
When to use it
Use these sentences for daily routines and schedules. Ask "¿A qué hora almuerzas?" (What time do you have lunch?) to a friend, or "¿A qué hora almuerza usted?" in a formal situation. To answer, say "Almuerzo a la una" (I have lunch at one). If you want to mention the meal itself rather than the action, use the noun: "El desayuno es a las siete" (Breakfast is at seven). Both patterns are common; the verb pattern sounds more personal, while the noun pattern works well for schedules and announcements.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿A qué hora desayunas normalmente?
What time do you usually have breakfast?ah keh OH-rah deh-sah-YOO-nahs nor-mahl-MEN-tehDesayuno a las siete de la mañana. ¿Y tú?
I have breakfast at seven in the morning. And you?deh-sah-YOO-noh ah lahs SYEH-teh deh lah mah-NYAH-nah. ee tooYo desayuno a las ocho y almuerzo a la una.
I have breakfast at eight and lunch at one.yoh deh-sah-YOO-noh ah lahs OH-choh ee al-MWEHR-soh ah lah OO-nahYo ceno a las ocho de la noche y a veces tomo una merienda.
I have dinner at eight at night and sometimes I have a snack.yoh SEH-noh ah lahs OH-choh deh lah NOH-cheh ee ah VEH-sehs TOH-moh OO-nah meh-RYEN-dahA little context goes a long way
Meal times and even the names of meals vary across the Spanish-speaking world. In much of Latin America el almuerzo is the main midday meal, while la cena is lighter and later; in some countries, however, la comida is the midday meal and la cena the evening one. In Spain, el desayuno is light, la comida is the main midday meal, and la cena can be quite late. Regional words for a snack also differ: merienda, botana, refrigerio and tentempié are all used, with different meanings depending on the country. Learn the words, then adjust the times and terms to the local routine.
One thing to watch for
Confusing the noun and the verb, or saying "Yo desayuno el desayuno."
Try this instead: Keep the noun and verb roles clear: "El desayuno es a las siete" (Breakfast is at seven) uses the noun, while "Desayuno a las siete" (I have breakfast at seven) uses the verb. Saying "Yo desayuno el desayuno" is redundant; choose one pattern.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say "I have lunch at one" in Spanish?
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Almuerzo a la una.
Almuerzo is the first-person present form of almorzar (o → ue in stressed forms), and a la una means at one o'clock. You could also say "Yo almuerzo a la una" for emphasis.
2What is the usual Spanish word for the evening meal in Latin America?
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la cena
La cena is the standard term for the evening meal in Latin American Spanish. In Spain, the same word is used, though the meal may happen later.
3Ask a friend informally what time they have breakfast.
Show a sample answer
¿A qué hora desayunas?
Desayunas is the tú form of desayunar. For a formal situation, use "¿A qué hora desayuna usted?".
Learn the meal words with their verbs, then attach a time: desayuno a las siete, almuerzo a la una, ceno a las ocho, and tomo una merienda por la tarde.
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