Talking about cooking | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At home, two adults talk about cooking simple soup and sharing it when it is ready..

EN → ES / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Talking about cooking to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?

koh-see-NAHR es too pah-sah-tee-EM-poh? Is cooking your hobby?
B

Me gusta preparar comida sencilla en casa.

meh GOOS-tah preh-pah-RAHR koh-MEE-dah sen-SEE-yah en KAH-sah. I like making simple food at home.
A

¿Qué te gusta preparar?

keh teh GOOS-tah preh-pah-RAHR? What do you like to make?
B

A menudo preparo una sopa sencilla.

ah meh-NOO-doh preh-PAH-roh OO-nah SOH-pah sen-SEE-yah. I often make a simple soup.
A

¿Usas una receta?

OO-sahs OO-nah reh-SEH-tah? Do you use a recipe?
B

Sigo una receta fácil.

SEE-goh OO-nah reh-SEH-tah FAH-seel. I follow an easy one.
A

Me gustaría probarla cuando esté lista.

meh goo-stah-REE-ah proh-BAHR-lah KWAHN-doh es-TEH LEES-tah. I would like to try it when it is ready.
B

Te guardaré un poco de sopa.

teh gwahr-dah-REH oon POH-koh deh SOH-pah. I will save some soup for you.

Word by Word

Cocinar “Cocinar” means cooking as an activity in “¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?”. It is used at the beginning as the activity being discussed. You can use this form when asking whether an activity is someone’s hobby or interest.
es In “¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?”, “es” says that cooking is or equals the person’s hobby. It links the activity with the description or noun that follows. A useful pattern is to use “es” to identify or describe something.
tu “Tu” means your in “tu pasatiempo” and shows that the hobby belongs to the person being addressed. It comes before the noun it describes. Use “tu” before something belonging to one person you are speaking to.
pasatiempo “Pasatiempo” means hobby or pastime in “¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?”. It names an activity someone enjoys in free time. You can use it when asking or talking about a person’s hobbies.
Me In “Me gusta preparar comida sencilla”, “Me” marks the person who experiences the liking: the speaker. The whole expression means that the speaker likes preparing simple food. Use “Me gusta” before an activity you enjoy.
gusta In “Me gusta preparar comida sencilla”, “gusta” expresses that the activity is pleasing to the speaker, so the meaning is “I like”. It appears with “Me” in this way of expressing preference. Use “Me gusta” before an activity or thing you like.
preparar “Preparar” means to prepare or make in “Me gusta preparar comida sencilla”. It names the activity that the speaker likes. Here it is followed by “comida sencilla”; you can use it before the food or thing being made.
comida “Comida” means food in “preparar comida sencilla”. It is what the speaker prepares at home. Use it after a cooking verb when referring generally to food being prepared.
sencilla “Sencilla” means simple in “comida sencilla”. It describes the food and matches “comida” in this expression. You can use it to describe food or another thing as uncomplicated or basic when the form fits the noun.
en “En” means in or at in “en casa”, showing the place where the food is prepared. It introduces a location. Use “en” before a place when saying where an action happens.
casa “Casa” means home or house, and in “en casa” it means at home. The expression identifies the place where the speaker prepares food. Use “en casa” when describing an activity done at home.
Qué “Qué” means what in “¿Qué te gusta preparar?”. It asks which thing or activity the person likes to prepare. Use “Qué” at the beginning of a question asking for information about a thing.
te In “¿Qué te gusta preparar?”, “te” marks the person whose preference is being asked about: you. It works together with “gusta” in the expression asking what you like. Use “te gusta” when asking one person about something they like.
A “A” begins the expression “A menudo”, which means often in this dialogue. Its meaning here comes from the complete expression, not from “A” alone. Use “A menudo” before a verb to say that something happens frequently.
menudo “Menudo” completes “A menudo”, and the full expression means often in “A menudo preparo una sopa sencilla”. It is not being used alone to express the frequency here. Use “A menudo” before an action that happens frequently.
preparo “Preparo” means I prepare or I make in “A menudo preparo una sopa sencilla”. The form shows that the speaker is the person doing the preparing. Use it before the food or thing that you prepare, as in “preparo una sopa sencilla”.
una “Una” means a or one in “una sopa sencilla”. It is the feminine singular form used before “sopa”. Use “una” before a feminine singular noun when referring to one item or an unspecified item.
sopa “Sopa” means soup in “una sopa sencilla”. It is the food being prepared. Use it after a cooking verb when talking about making soup, as in “preparo una sopa sencilla”.
Usas “Usas” means you use in “¿Usas una receta?”. It asks whether the person being addressed uses a recipe while cooking. Use it before the thing that someone uses, as in “Usas una receta”.
receta “Receta” means recipe in “¿Usas una receta?” and “Sigo una receta fácil”. It refers to the instructions used to prepare the food. You can use it with cooking expressions about using or following instructions.
Sigo “Sigo” means I follow in “Sigo una receta fácil”. It says that the speaker follows the recipe’s instructions. Use it before the instructions or guide being followed, as in “Sigo una receta fácil”.
fácil “Fácil” means easy in “una receta fácil”. It describes the recipe as not difficult to follow. Use it after a noun when describing that recipe or thing as easy.
gustaría In “Me gustaría probarla”, “gustaría” expresses would like and presents the speaker’s desire politely. The complete expression introduces the action the speaker wants to do. Use “Me gustaría” before an action you want to express in a polite way.
probarla “Probarla” means to try it in “Me gustaría probarla cuando esté lista”. The form combines the action of trying with “la”, which refers to the feminine item being tried; in this cooking context, it refers to the soup. Use it when saying that you want to taste or try that food.
cuando “Cuando” means when in “cuando esté lista”. It introduces the time condition for trying the soup. Use “cuando” before a clause that says when an action will happen.
esté In “cuando esté lista”, “esté” expresses the soup’s state of being ready at that time. It works together with “lista” to describe that state. Use the expression “cuando esté lista” when waiting for something feminine to become ready.
lista “Lista” means ready in “cuando esté lista”. It describes the soup’s condition before it is tried, and its form matches the feminine noun “sopa”. Use it with “esté” to say that a feminine thing is ready.
guardarÉ The dialogue form “guardaré” means I will save or keep in “Te guardaré un poco de sopa”. It says that the speaker will reserve some soup for the other person. Use it when promising to keep something for someone.
un In “un poco de sopa”, “un” forms the quantity expression meaning some or a little soup with “poco”. It is the masculine singular form used before “poco”. Use “un poco de” before a noun when referring to a small amount.
poco “Poco” expresses a small amount in “un poco de sopa”. The complete expression refers to some soup being saved for the other person. Use “un poco de” to describe a small amount of something.
de In “un poco de sopa”, “de” links the amount “un poco” with the thing being measured, “sopa”. The full phrase means some or a little soup. Use “de” after “un poco” before the noun that names the amount.

Grammar Points

me gustaría + infinitivo

Me gustaría probarla.

meh goo-stah-REE-ah proh-BAHR-lah.

I would like to try it.

Use me gustaría + an infinitive to express a polite desire or wish.

cuando + subjuntivo

Cuando esté lista, me gustaría probarla.

KWAHN-doh es-TEH LEES-tah, meh goo-stah-REE-ah proh-BAHR-lah.

When it is ready, I would like to try it.

For a future event after cuando, Spanish uses the subjunctive: esté, not está.

Spanish Vocabulary

a menudo adv
ah meh-NOO-doh often

A menudo preparo una sopa sencilla.

cocinar verb
koh-see-NAHR to cook

¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?

comida noun
koh-MEE-dah food

Me gusta preparar comida sencilla en casa.

en casa phrase
en KAH-sah at home

Me gusta preparar comida sencilla en casa.

me gusta phrase
meh GOOS-tah I like

Me gusta preparar comida sencilla en casa.

pasatiempo noun
pah-sah-tee-EM-poh hobby

¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?

preparar verb
preh-pah-RAHR to prepare; to make

Me gusta preparar comida sencilla en casa.

preparo verb
preh-PAH-roh I make; I prepare

A menudo preparo una sopa sencilla.

receta noun
reh-SEH-tah recipe

¿Usas una receta?

sencilla adj
sen-SEE-yah simple

Me gusta preparar comida sencilla en casa.

sopa noun
SOH-pah soup

A menudo preparo una sopa sencilla.

usar verb
oo-SAHR to use

¿Usas una receta?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Is cooking your hobby?

Show Answer¿Cocinar es tu pasatiempo?

What do you like to make?

Show Answer¿Qué te gusta preparar?

I often make a simple soup.

Show AnswerA menudo preparo una sopa sencilla.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

simple

Show Answersencilla

to prepare; to make

Show Answerpreparar

to cook

Show Answercocinar

I make; I prepare

Show Answerpreparo