Can you think of any Spanish word that contains all five vowels? Believe it or not, there are many words in Spanish that have all five vowels. In this brief lesson, we will list some of the most common ones. However, before you go through our list, we would like to invite you to do the following:
1. Read this lesson about the vowels in Spanish.
2. Try to come up with some word in Spanish that has all 5 vowels.
If nothing comes to mind, get ready to check out the following list of words, which we have classified into 3 big groups: Nouns, Adjectives, and Conjugated Verbs. If you have been studying Spanish, we are sure you are already familiar with several of the words we have included in this list. Are you ready to unveil these words and hear how to say them? Let's get started!
El abuelito merece la mejor fiesta
Grandpa deserves the best party
Caption 10, Cleer y Carolina Organizando la fiesta del abuelo
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España está dividida en diecisiete comunidades autónomas.
Spain is divided into seventeen autonomous communities.
Caption 11, Ariana España
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Mi escultura es la solución a una ecuación
My sculpture is the solution to an equation
Caption 25, San Sebastián Peine del viento
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El uso de las computadoras y el internet forman parte de la educación de los estudiantes
The use of computers and the internet are part of the students' education
Captions 38-39, Aprendiendo con Karen Útiles escolares - Part 2
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¿Qué es eso de la euforia?
What is that [whole] euphoria [thing]?
Caption 5, Aprendiendo con Silvia Las emociones - Part 6
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dice que si tú tienes tu menstruación,
says that if you're on your period,
Caption 37, Melyna El aguacate
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Los murciélagos se llaman "morciguillos",
Bats are called "morciguillos,"
Caption 73, Soledad El argot
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O sea... que esa imagen que tenemos de la orquídea,
In other words... that image that we have of the orchid
Captions 29-30, Estepona Orquidario - Part 1
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A veces era una fuente, otras un riachuelo,
Sometimes, it was a fountain, other times, a stream,
Captions 50-51, Aprendiendo con Silvia Recuerdos de infancia - Part 3
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para un taco auténtico:
for an authentic taco:
Caption 23, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Karla y los tacos - Part 2
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o algo que puede ser cuestionable.
or something that could be questionable.
Caption 17, Carlos explica 20 formas de decir no sin decir no
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y servían como necrópolis para los enterramientos funerarios.
and were used as a necropolis for funeral burials.
Caption 7, Rosa Los Dólmenes de Antequera
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Pero claro, muñeca. No te preocupes que averiguo todo y te cuento, ¿listo?
But of course, doll. Don't worry as I'll find out everything and I'll tell you, alright?
Caption 32, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 1 - Part 5
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Sí, querida, te llamé porque quería comunicarte
Yes, dear, I called you because I wanted to communicate to you
Caption 12, Muñeca Brava 39 Verdades - Part 10
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And those were the words with all five vowels in Spanish! How many did you know? While there are, of course, many more words Spanish words containing all five vowels, we have limited this list to some of the more common ones. Is there any word that you think we should have included? Do let us know, and don't forget to send us your suggestions and comments.
Do you know how to read una receta (a recipe) in Spanish and/or talk about the various actions one must perform to prepare una comida (a meal)? In order to help you do so, we've taken fifty of the most popular cooking verbs in English, then given you the equivalent Spanish term(s) for each, along with lots of examples from our Yabla Spanish library. Let's get started!
When talking about "adding" in an ingredient, there are various choices! While the first two mean "to add," the second two literally mean "to put" or "place" but are frequently seen in recipes to describe the same action:
Una vez sudado los ingredientes, le colocamos: salsa inglesa,
Once the ingredients are stewed, we add in: Worcestershire sauce,
Captions 50-51, Recetas de cocina Pabellón criollo
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El siguiente paso es batir ocho o nueve huevos.
The next step is to beat eight or nine eggs.
Captions 37-38, Clara cocina Una tortilla española
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And speaking of eggs, you have "to break" or "crack" them, which is described with the Spanish verb romper (to break):
Rompe los huevos contra una superficie plana.
Break the eggs on a flat surface.
Ahora llena una cazuela de agua y luego ponla a hervir.
Now, fill a pot with water, and then, bring it to a boil.
Captions 37-38, El Aula Azul Receta de garbanzos
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There are many ways to describe the action of "blending" in Spanish. While the first four options we have listed are more likely to refer to simply "mixing thoroughly," batir and licuar tend to describe more vigorous actions and perhaps even some instrument like a una/a batidor/a (whisk) or licuadora (blender).
Todo esto vamos a llevar a licuar, a dar vueltas
All of this, we're going to blend, to spin around,
Caption 29, Mónica Batido
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y se hornea
and you bake it
Caption 78, Viajando con Fermín Restaurante La Viña - Part 2
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y vamos a asar dos tiempos la parte de la grasa
and we're going to barbecue the part with the fat two times
Caption 49, Osos en la cocina Carne asada
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Vamos a cortar en pedazos pequeños también la lechuga,
Let's also cut the lettuce into small pieces,
Caption 16, Ana Carolina Receta para una picada
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The verb cubrir might refer to covering something with una tapa (a cover/lid) or something else, like water:
Vamos a cubrirlo y vamos a subirle el fuego.
We're going to cover it, and we're going to increase the heat.
Caption 37, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 2
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La papa es fácil de cocinar,
Potatoes are easy to cook,
Caption 14, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 3
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Luego, pones el papel encerado por encima y dejas que enfríe.
Then, you put the wax paper on top and you let it cool.
Captions 26-27, Manos a la obra Postres de Minecraft
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Picamos todo; todo se tiene que picar muy, muy pequeño.
We chop everything; everything has to be chopped very, very small.
Caption 13, Cleer y Lida Ají
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The Spanish word dados literally means "dice," as in the dice you play games with. Cortar en dados (literally "to cut in dice") is thus one of the ways to talk about the "dicing" action in Spanish:
Cortarlo en dados y freírlos hasta dorar.
Dice it, and fry them until browned.
Caption 50, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 5
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Although the verbs escurrir and colar can both mean "to drain," as in simply getting rid of excess liquid, they can also mean "to strain," as in running something through a colador (colander, sieve, etc.) to separate the solid from the liquid:
Ahora cuela los garbanzos con un colador. Escúrrelos bien.
Now, strain the chickpeas with a strainer. Drain them well.
Captions 40-41, El Aula Azul Receta de garbanzos
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En la sartén, un poco de aceite y fríes la mezcla.
In the frying pan, a little bit of oil, and you fry the mixture.
Caption 35, El Aula Azul Adivinanzas de comidas - Part 1
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la volteamos y hacemos lo mismo y podemos ir volteándola hasta que esté totalmente cocinada.
we flip it, and we do the same thing, and we can keep flipping it until it's totally cooked.
Captions 34-35, Dany Arepas - Part 2
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Note that these words can also be used as equivalents of the English "to crush."
y después de eso procederemos a molerla.
and after that we will proceed to grind it.
Caption 51, Una Historia de Café La Tostión
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¿Qué, sos un queso pa' que te ralle?
What, are you some cheese for me to grate?
Caption 70, Muñeca Brava 39 Verdades - Part 10
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You might have noticed that the terms for "to grill" and "to barbecue" in Spanish are similar, and people often confuse these actions ("barbecuing" tends to describe cooking something for longer over a lower heat, and perhaps on an actual "barbecue"). Most of the time, context should let you know which meaning is intended.
Ahora vamos a asar las arepas.
Now we are going to grill the arepas.
Caption 31, Recetas de cocina Arepas colombianas
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Lo ponemos en la estufa... y lo vamos a calentar a un fuego medio o bajo.
We put it on the stove... and we're going to heat it over medium or low heat.
Caption 18, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 1
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Entonces, tenemos que amasarla bien.
Then, we have to knead it well.
Caption 66, Recetas de cocina Carimañolas
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es que, si cada persona en el cuarto enciende un fósforo al mismo tiempo,
is that, if every person in the room lights a match at the same time,
Captions 52-53, Eljuri Hablamos Con La Artista Sobre Su Nuevo Álbum
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Similarly, the verb encender can also mean "to turn on."
¿Y medís la grasa que tiene,
And you measure the fat that it has,
Caption 17, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 14
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eh, que sea grande y espacioso para poder mezclar.
um, which is large and spacious to be able to mix.
Caption 25, Dany Arepas - Part 1
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Ahora voy a cocinar en microondas las palomitas.
Now, I'm going to microwave the popcorn.
"Haz puré con un aplastador de papas" means "Mash with a potato masher." Now, let's look at a clip that describes the result of this action!
Ella va a hacer un puré de papa y yo voy a hacer la pechuga.
She is going to make some mashed potatoes, and I am going to make the chicken breast.
Caption 27, Misión Chef 2 - Pruebas - Part 7
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Derrítalo en agua caliente. Eh... derretirlo... eh...
Melt it in hot water. Um... melt it... um...
Captions 29-30, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 5: Ha nacido una estrella - Part 7
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Lo vamos a picar como en una crema.
We're going to mince it like in a cream.
Caption 77, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 2
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Lo dejamos marinar una hora en el refrigerador
We let it marinate for one hour in the refrigerator
Caption 9, Osos en la cocina Pollo asiático
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El primer paso es pelar las patatas,
The first step is to peel the potatoes,
Caption 23, Clara cocina Una tortilla española
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y vierte un poco de aceite.
and pour in a bit of oil.
Caption 55, El Aula Azul Receta de garbanzos
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Take note that in addition to "grill" and "barbecue," the Spanish verb asar can also mean "to roast," or "cook in an oven or open fire." When talking about "roasting" coffee beans, nuts, or seeds, however, the verb tostar (literally "to toast") is commonly employed to describe the "roasting" action:
El café se tuesta entre doscientos y doscientos cincuenta grados centígrados.
Coffee is roasted at between two hundred and two hundred fifty degrees centigrade.
Caption 7, Una Historia de Café La Tostión
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Refrigera la torta por dos horas antes de servir.
Refrigerate cake for two hours prior to serving.
The verb estirar, which usually means "to stretch," can also refer to "rolling out" dough, for example, with a rolling pin:
el rulero, empezar a estirar la empanada.
the rolling pin, start to roll out the empanada.
Caption 37, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Lalo y la receta de la empanada
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Although enjuagar is the most common verb meaning "to rinse," sometimes the verb desinfectar can be used when referring to "rinsing" food items.
las frutas, lo... las lavamos, las desinfectamos,
the fruit, we... we wash it, we rinse it,
Caption 15, Otavalo Mali Tea
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Have you ever heard of "false friends," or false cognates in Spanish? While remover sounds like "to remove" and revolver resembles "to revolve," both of these verbs mean "to stir" in Spanish (the latter making a bit more sense!). Meanwhile, the false friend estirar, which looks and sounds more like "to stir," means "to stretch" (or "roll out," as we learned earlier).
Recordad: remover bien la mezcla.
Remember: Stir the mixture well.
Caption 65, El Aula Azul Receta de natillas
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In addition to "to stir," the Spanish verb revolver can also mean "to scramble."
Revuelve los huevos en una sartén de acero inoxidable.
Scramble the eggs in a stainless steel frying pan.
Espolvorea con azúcar y canela.
Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Exprimimos medio limón por cada trozo de carne.
We squeeze half a lemon for each piece of meat.
Caption 36, Osos en la cocina Carne asada
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con queso y mantequilla que puedes untar sobre el pan.
with cheese and butter that you can spread on the bread.
Captions 40-41, Natalia de Ecuador Alimentos para el desayuno
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Al vapor, el brócoli conserva su textura, su sabor y sus propiedades.
Steamed, broccoli keeps its texture, its flavor, and its properties.
Captions 58-59, Soledad Ensaladilla de brócoli
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This Spanish verb literally means "to boil at low heat," which is what "simmering" refers to:
Hierve el guiso a fuego lento por tres a cuatro horas.
Simmer the stew for three to four hours.
Picamos en rebanadas.
We slice [them].
Caption 15, Recetas de cocina Ensalada de pepino
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le echo... lo salteo con aceite y le echo una guindilla.
I put it in... I sauté it with oil and I add a chili pepper to it.
Caption 27, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 3
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De un litro, hay que cogerle y cernirle
From one liter, you have to take it and sift it,
Caption 102, Comunidad Tsáchila Ayahuasca y plantas curativas
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Notice that the Spanish words for "tossing" a salad are not the literal translations for the word "toss" as in "throw," but rather mean "to mix" (mezclar) and "to stir" (revolver, remover).
Verter el aderezo en la ensalada y revolver poco antes de servir.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss just before serving.
La uso para tostar el pan del desayuno por las mañanas.
I use it to toast the breakfast bread in the morning.
Caption 29, Aprendiendo con Zulbany Piensa rápido
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Para cada jarra de café debo pesar siempre la misma cantidad
For each mug of coffee I must always weigh out the same amount,
Captions 53-54, Una Historia de Café La Tostión
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The previously discussed Spanish verb batir can also be used for the action of "whisking." To be more specific, you might also mention the name of the "whisk" instrument:
Usando una batidora de varillas, bate la mezcla hasta que esté uniforme.
Using a wire whisk, blend mixture until it is uniform.
A much simpler translation with the same meaning would be simply: "Whisk mixture until uniform."
Mientras lavamos el tomate y vamos preparando la ensalada,
While we wash the tomato and we're making the salad,
Caption 28, Fermín Ensalada de tomate
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We hope that this lesson on the top Spanish verbs for cooking has brought to light a lot of new cooking vocabulary as well as making you aware of a multitude of Yabla videos you might not have seen with a ton of scrumptious recipes to try! And if you do, we would love for you to write us with your experiences and comments!
Whenever a person is the object of a sentence in Spanish, the word a (which can literally mean "to," "at," etc., depending upon the context) must be included prior to the person. This is called the "personal a" in English and the "a personal" in Spanish.
In both English and Spanish, the subject of a sentence is the person or thing that performs an action and the object is the person or thing that receives it. For example, in the English sentence "Edison ate cake," "Edison" is the subject and "cake" is the object. And in the sentence "Gonzalo hugged Eva," "Gonzalo" is the subject while "Eva" is the object. So, while the translation for the first example, Edison comió torta, would not require the personal a, the second one would since Eva is a person: Gonzalo abrazó a Eva.
Now that we understand a bit how the personal a works, let's see a few examples where the same verb in the same tense either has a personal a or doesn't, depending upon whether the object of the sentence is a person. You will note that there is no direct translation for the personal a in the English sentences.
Pero yo vi sombras.
But I saw shadows.
Caption 26, Tu Voz Estéreo Feliz Navidad - Part 4
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Yo vi a Pablo Escobar,
I saw Pablo Escobar
Caption 28, Los Tiempos de Pablo Escobar Capítulo 2 - Part 8
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me di cuenta que no entendía todos los conceptos
I realized that I didn't understand all the concepts
Caption 73, Guillermo el chamán La tecnología maya
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De verdad, en ese momento no entendía a las niñas.
Really, at that moment, I didn't understand girls.
Caption 53, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 11 - Part 6
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Conocí las islas Barú de... de Colombia
I visited the Barú Islands in... in Colombia
Caption 89, Cleer y Lida Juego de preguntas y respuestas - Part 2
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Conocí a María ayer.
I met María yesterday.
Caption 22, Lecciones con Carolina Saber y conocer
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When a pronoun like alguien (someone), nadie (no one/anyone), quien, alguno/a(s) (some/someobody/one), or ninguno/a(s) (none/no one/any) replace a person or people as the direct object in a sentence, the personal a is used as well:
No queremos alarmar a nadie.
We don't want to alarm anyone.
Caption 52, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 5 - Part 8
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Perdón, eh, ¿busca a alguien?
Excuse me, um, are you looking for someone?
Caption 1, Muñeca Brava 8 Trampas - Part 10
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Todos los años, tengo que reñir a alguno.
Every year, I have to tell someone off.
Caption 46, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 10
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The personal a is also used with animals or inanimate objects when the person speaking about them "personifies" them or has affection for them. One example is pets:
¿Federico te regaló a Zazén?
Did Federico give you Zazen?
Caption 9, Tu Voz Estéreo Laura - Part 6
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Generalmente acá se ven elefantes marinos
Generally, here you see elephant seals
Caption 37, Perdidos en la Patagonia La Punta Cantor
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Me fascina, quiero ayudar a mi país,
I love it. I want to help my country
Caption 24, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Manuel Orozco Sánchez - Part 1
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Yo amo a mi carro. -Se nota. -Único, bello.
I love my car. -You can see that. -Unique, beautiful.
Caption 97, Encuentro Volkswagen en Adícora Escarabajos en la playa - Part 2
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This is definitely the exception to the rule, though. In most cases, the personal a would not be used with such inanimate objects:
Vaya a lavar el auto, por favor!
Go to wash the car, please!
Caption 31, Muñeca Brava 30 Revelaciones - Part 5
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The personal a is not generally used with the verb tener:
¿Tienes hijos? -No.
Do you have children? -No.
Caption 87, Adícora, Venezuela El tatuaje de Rosana
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However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. One is when one has an emotional or close relationship with someone:
Tengo a Alejandrita que tiene diez y James que tiene diecinueve.
I have little Alejandra who is ten and James who is nineteen.
Captions 59-60, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 20
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Another is when someone is physically holding someone:
Él tenía a mi hija en sus brazos.
He had my daughter in his arms.
A third is when one "has" someone "somewhere":
Teníamos a los gemelos en una clase de baile.
We had the twins in a dance class.
The personal a is not used with the verb haber, either:
hay muchas personas que se oponen a que haya paz en Colombia.
there are many people who are opposed to there being peace in Colombia.
Caption 32, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 9 - Part 1
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había una mujer que podía ser la protagonista de mi canción.
there was a woman who could be the main character of my song.
Captions 48-49, Luis Guitarra Historia de Lucía - Part 2
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In conclusion, although the personal a in Spanish can be a bit counterintuitive for English speakers since we don't have anything like it, we hope that this lesson has helped you to understand what it is and when it is and isn't used, and... don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments,
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