How to Say 10 Staple Foods in Spanish and Use 'I eat' and 'I like'
Learn ten everyday food words in Latin American Spanish and build simple sentences with como (I eat) and me gusta (I like).
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn the Spanish words for ten common foods: bread, rice, apple, egg, cheese, chicken, fish, banana, tomato, and potato. You will also learn two sentence patterns that let you talk about them right away: Yo como... (I eat...) and Me gusta... (I like...). These are individual food items, not meals or meal times, so you can use them at the store, at the table, or when talking about your diet. All examples use broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with regional notes where words differ.
By the end, you can…
- name ten staple foods in Spanish.
- say what I eat using Yo como...
- say what I like using Me gusta...
- recognize that food nouns have gender and use the correct article.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
el pan
the bread
el pahn
Masculine noun. Use el pan for one loaf or bread in general. In many regions pan also appears in sandwich names like pan con pollo.
el arroz
the rice
el ah-RROHS
Masculine noun. The final z sounds like s in most of Latin America. Say el arroz blanco for plain white rice.
la manzana
the apple
lah mahn-SAH-nah
Feminine noun. Use la for one apple and las for two or more: las manzanas.
el huevo
the egg
el WEH-boh
Masculine noun. The h is silent, so huevo begins with a w sound. Say los huevos for two or more.
el queso
the cheese
el KEH-soh
Masculine noun. Useful in phrases like queso fresco, a common fresh cheese in Latin America.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Use Yo como plus a food word to say what you eat: Yo como pan. (I eat bread.) Yo como arroz. (I eat rice.) For liking, Spanish usually uses Me gusta plus the food: Me gusta el queso. (I like cheese.) Me gusta la manzana. (I like the apple.) Notice that me gusta works like 'it is pleasing to me,' so the food is the subject. With plural foods, use Me gustan: Me gustan los huevos. (I like eggs.)
When to use it
Use Yo como for a habit or a fact about yourself, such as Yo como arroz todos los días. (I eat rice every day.) Use Me gusta to express a preference, such as Me gusta el pollo. (I like chicken.) If you want to say you do not eat or like something, put no before the verb: No como pescado. (I do not eat fish.) No me gusta el tomate. (I do not like tomato.) These short sentences are polite and common in everyday conversation.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Qué comes en el desayuno?
What do you eat for breakfast?keh KOH-mehs en el deh-sah-YOO-nohYo como pan con queso y un huevo.
I eat bread with cheese and an egg.yoh KOH-moh pahn kohn KEH-soh ee oon WEH-boh¿Te gusta el arroz?
Do you like rice?teh GOOS-tah el ah-RROHSSí, me gusta el arroz con pollo.
Yes, I like rice with chicken.see, meh GOOS-tah el ah-RROHS kohn POH-yohA little context goes a long way
Food words vary by region. In much of Latin America, banana is el plátano, but in Argentina and Uruguay the fruit is often la banana, while el plátano can mean a cooking plantain. Papa is the common word for potato in Latin America, but in Spain it is patata. Tomato is el tomate almost everywhere, though Mexico also uses jitomate for red tomatoes. These are normal regional differences, not errors.
One thing to watch for
Saying Me gusta los huevos or Me gusta manzana without the article.
Try this instead: With me gusta, singular foods normally take an article: Me gusta la manzana. (I like the apple.) For plural foods, use gustan and the plural article: Me gustan los huevos. (I like eggs.) You can also say Me gusta el huevo to mean you like egg as a food in general.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I eat rice' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Yo como arroz.
Yo means I, como means I eat, and arroz means rice. You may also hear Como arroz without yo, because the verb form already shows who is speaking.
2How do you say 'I like cheese' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Me gusta el queso.
Me gusta is the standard way to say I like one thing, and queso is masculine, so it takes el. Me gusta queso could be understood in some contexts, but the article is the usual form.
3Which word means 'potato' in most of Latin America, and which word is common in Spain?
Show a sample answer
Papa is common in most of Latin America; patata is common in Spain.
Both are correct in their regions. Papa is the everyday word in Latin America, while patata is standard in Spain. Using papa in Latin America is the safer choice for this lesson.
Learn each food with its article, then practice two frames: Yo como... for what you eat and Me gusta... for what you like. Remember Me gustan with plural foods.
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