How to Say 'I Drink' and Name Beverages in Latin American Spanish
Learn Spanish words for water, coffee, tea, juice, milk, and soda, and use the pattern 'Yo tomo ___' to say what you drink.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn six common drink words in Spanish and one simple sentence pattern for saying what you drink. The key verb is tomar (to take, to drink). In Latin American Spanish, yo tomo ___ is the everyday way to say 'I drink ___'. You will also learn the gender of each drink word, because the article changes: el agua, el café, el té, el jugo, la leche, la gaseosa. Work through the phrases, then try the practice questions.
By the end, you can…
- name six common drinks in Latin American Spanish.
- say 'I drink ___' using yo tomo with the correct article.
- recognize that drink words have gender and choose el or la.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Yo tomo agua.
I drink water.
yoh TOH-moh AH-gwah
Agua is feminine, but in the singular it takes el: el agua. This is because the stressed initial a- sound makes la awkward. In the plural, the normal feminine article returns: las aguas.
Yo tomo café.
I drink coffee.
yoh TOH-moh kah-FEH
Café is masculine: el café. In Latin America, café usually means strong black coffee unless you add words like con leche.
Yo tomo té.
I drink tea.
yoh TOH-moh TEH
Té is masculine: el té. The accent mark distinguishes té (tea) from te (you, object pronoun).
Yo tomo jugo.
I drink juice.
yoh TOH-moh HOO-goh
Jugo is masculine: el jugo. In Spain, zumo is more common for juice; in Latin America, jugo is standard.
Yo tomo leche.
I drink milk.
yoh TOH-moh LEH-cheh
Leche is feminine: la leche. Use la, not el, with this word.
Yo tomo gaseosa.
I drink soda.
yoh TOH-moh gah-seh-OH-sah
Gaseosa is feminine: la gaseosa. Regional alternatives include refresco (Mexico, much of Central America) and soda (some South American countries).
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern is yo tomo + drink. Yo means 'I', and tomo is the yo form of tomar. Examples: Yo tomo café. Yo tomo té. Yo tomo jugo. You can also drop yo because the verb ending already shows 'I': Tomo café. Both are correct. To ask a question, change your intonation: ¿Tomas café? means 'Do you drink coffee?' The tú form is tomas. Note that in this pattern the drink word normally appears without an article: Yo tomo café, not Yo tomo el café.
When to use it
Use yo tomo for everyday statements about what you drink. It works in homes, cafés, and restaurants across Latin America. If you want to be more specific, add a word: Yo tomo café con leche. Yo tomo jugo de naranja. For polite requests, use quisiera or me gustaría: Quisiera un café, por favor. Note that tomar also means 'to take' in other contexts, so listen for the drink word to know the meaning.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Qué tomas?
What do you drink?keh TOH-mahsYo tomo café. ¿Y tú?
I drink coffee. And you?yoh TOH-moh kah-FEH. ee TOOYo tomo té.
I drink tea.yoh TOH-moh TEHYo tomo jugo de naranja.
I drink orange juice.yoh TOH-moh HOO-goh deh nah-RAHN-hahA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American cafés, café means a small strong coffee, often served with sugar already added. If you want milk, say café con leche. For soda, the word changes by country: gaseosa, refresco, and soda are all used. Asking for agua usually means bottled water unless you specify otherwise.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Yo tomo la agua' because agua ends in -a.
Try this instead: Use el agua in the singular: Yo tomo agua (or, if you include the article, el agua). Agua is feminine, but the stressed initial a- sound makes la awkward, so Spanish uses el. The plural is las aguas.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I drink milk' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Yo tomo leche.
Leche is feminine, but in this pattern the drink word normally appears without an article: Yo tomo leche. You could also say Tomo leche. Both are correct.
2Which article goes with café: el or la?
Show a sample answer
el
Café is masculine, so the article is el: el café. In the pattern yo tomo, however, the article is normally left out: Yo tomo café.
3What is a common word for 'soda' in Mexico?
Show a sample answer
refresco
Refresco is common in Mexico and much of Central America. Gaseosa is also used in other regions, and soda appears in some South American countries.
Use yo tomo + drink to say what you drink. Remember el agua, el café, el té, el jugo, la leche, la gaseosa.
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