Taste vocabulary in Spanish covers three main areas: flavor words (like sweet, salty, sour), descriptive adjectives (like delicious, bland, spicy), and useful expressions for talking about how food and drink taste. This helps you describe and discuss flavors confidently in everyday situations.
Flavors
Flavor words name the basic tastes you’ll commonly encounter. These are building blocks for describing food and drink.
| Spanish Singular | Spanish Plural | English Singular | English Plural | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dulce | dulces | sweet | sweets | Me gusta el postre dulce. | I like sweet dessert. |
| salado | salados | salty | salty (plural) | El queso está muy salado. | The cheese is very salty. |
| ácido | ácidos | sour | sour (plural) | El limón es ácido. | The lemon is sour. |
| amargo | amargos | bitter | bitter (plural) | El café está amargo. | The coffee is bitter. |
| umami | — | umami | — | Este plato tiene un sabor umami. | This dish has an umami flavor. |
| picante | picantes | spicy | spicy (plural) | La salsa está picante. | The sauce is spicy. |
| insípido | insípidos | tasteless | tasteless (plural) | La sopa está insípida. | The soup is tasteless. |
Descriptive Adjectives
These adjectives help you describe the taste and quality of food more vividly.
| Spanish Singular | Spanish Plural | English Singular | English Plural | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| delicioso | deliciosos | delicious | delicious | La paella es deliciosa. | The paella is delicious. |
| sabroso | sabrosos | tasty | tasty | El pollo está muy sabroso. | The chicken is very tasty. |
| dulce | dulces | sweet | sweet | La fruta está dulce. | The fruit is sweet. |
| amargo | amargos | bitter | bitter | El chocolate negro es amargo. | Dark chocolate is bitter. |
| picante | picantes | spicy | spicy | El curry es picante. | The curry is spicy. |
| fresco | frescos | fresh | fresh | El pescado está fresco. | The fish is fresh. |
| quemado | quemados | burnt | burnt | El pan está quemado. | The bread is burnt. |
| suave | suaves | mild / smooth | mild / smooth | El vino tiene un sabor suave. | The wine has a smooth flavor. |
| fuerte | fuertes | strong | strong | El queso tiene un sabor fuerte. | The cheese has a strong flavor. |
| insípido | insípidos | bland / tasteless | bland / tasteless | La comida está insípida. | The food is bland. |
Useful Phrases
These phrases let you talk about taste more naturally and ask for opinions.
| Spanish | English | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿A qué sabe? | What does it taste like? | ¿A qué sabe esta sopa? | What does this soup taste like? |
| Sabe a … | It tastes like … | Sabe a pollo. | It tastes like chicken. |
| Está … | It’s … | Está muy dulce. | It’s very sweet. |
| Tiene sabor a … | It has a flavor of … | Tiene sabor a limón. | It has a lemon flavor. |
| No sabe a nada. | It doesn’t taste like anything. | Este jugo no sabe a nada. | This juice doesn’t taste like anything. |
| Me gusta el sabor. | I like the taste. | Me gusta el sabor de esta salsa. | I like the taste of this sauce. |
| Está delicioso / sabroso. | It’s delicious / tasty. | El postre está delicioso. | The dessert is delicious. |
| Es muy picante. | It’s very spicy. | Ten cuidado, es muy picante. | Be careful, it’s very spicy. |
| Está un poco … | It’s a bit … | Está un poco salado. | It’s a bit salty. |
| Tiene un sabor fuerte / suave. | It has a strong / mild flavor. | El café tiene un sabor fuerte. | The coffee has a strong flavor. |
What does this soup taste like?
¿A qué sabe esta sopa?
¿A qué sabe ...? means 'What does … taste like?' So '¿A qué sabe esta sopa?' asks 'What does this soup taste like?'
It’s very sweet.
Está muy dulce.
Está … describes a current state. 'Está muy dulce.' means 'It’s very sweet.'
Taste Verbs
These verbs describe the action of tasting and experiencing flavors.
| Spanish Infinitive | English Infinitive | Spanish Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| saber | to taste (like) | ¿A qué sabe el guacamole? | What does the guacamole taste like? |
| probar | to try / to taste | Quiero probar el postre. | I want to try the dessert. |
| degustar | to taste (formally) | Degustamos varios vinos. | We tasted several wines. |
| comer | to eat | Comí una manzana dulce. | I ate a sweet apple. |
| beber | to drink | Bebí un jugo ácido. | I drank a sour juice. |
Conclusion
Taste vocabulary in Spanish is organized into flavors, descriptive adjectives, useful phrases, and verbs. Memorizing these categories will give you the tools to describe any food or drink accurately.
Flashcards (1 of 32)
- English Singular: sweet
- English Plural: sweets
- English Example: I like sweet dessert.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
