Checking ingredients before cooking | Learn Spanish in English

Spanish lesson set in a contemporary Madrid everyday setting: At home, two adults check ingredients before cooking and decide to buy onions before measuring rice..

EN → ES / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Checking ingredients before cooking to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Antes de empezar a cocinar, ¿qué ingredientes tenemos?

AHN-tehs deh ehm-peh-SAR ah koh-see-NAR, keh een-greh-DYEN-tehs teh-NEH-mohs? Before we start cooking, what ingredients do we have?
B

La receta necesita cebollas y tomates.

lah reh-SEH-tah neh-seh-SEE-tah seh-BOH-yahs ee toh-MAH-tehs. The recipe needs onions and tomatoes.
A

Tenemos tomates, pero no nos quedan cebollas.

teh-NEH-mohs toh-MAH-tehs, PEH-roh noh nohs KEH-dahn seh-BOH-yahs. We have tomatoes, but we're out of onions.
B

¿Podemos usar cebollas verdes en su lugar?

poh-DEH-mohs oo-SAR seh-BOH-yahs BEHR-dehs en soo loo-GAR? Can we use green onions instead?
A

Tal vez, pero el sabor será diferente.

tahl BEHS, PEH-roh ehl sah-BOR seh-RAH dee-feh-REN-teh. Maybe, but the taste will be different.
B

Entonces compraré cebollas en la tienda de la esquina.

en-TOHN-sehs kohm-prah-REH seh-BOH-yahs en lah tee-EN-dah deh lah ehs-KEE-nah. Then I'll buy onions from the corner shop.
A

Todavía tenemos que medir el arroz.

toh-dah-BEE-ah teh-NEH-mohs keh meh-DEER ehl ah-RROHS. We still need to measure the rice.
B

Mediré suficiente arroz para cuatro personas cuando vuelva.

meh-dee-REH soo-fee-SYEN-teh ah-RROHS PAH-rah KWAH-troh pehr-SOH-nahs KWAHN-doh BWEHL-bah. I'll measure enough rice for four people after I get back.

Word by Word

Antes “Antes” means “before” here and introduces the time before cooking begins. It is commonly used in the pattern “Antes de” followed by an action, as in “Antes de empezar a cocinar”.
de In “Antes de empezar a cocinar”, “de” connects “before” with the following action. After “Antes de”, it is followed by an infinitive such as “empezar”.
empezar “Empezar” means “to start” in “Antes de empezar a cocinar”. It is an infinitive used after “Antes de” and is followed here by “a cocinar” to specify the activity that starts.
a In “empezar a cocinar”, “a” links “empezar” with the action that begins. The reusable pattern is “empezar a” followed by an infinitive.
cocinar “Cocinar” means “to cook” in “empezar a cocinar”. It is the action that the speakers are about to begin, and it appears as an infinitive after “a”.
qué “Qué” means “what” in the question “¿qué ingredientes tenemos?”. It asks for information about the ingredients and appears before the noun “ingredientes”.
ingredientes “Ingredientes” means “ingredients” in the question about what is available for cooking. It is used as the object of the question and can refer to the items needed in a recipe.
tenemos “Tenemos” means “we have” here, referring to the ingredients currently available. It comes from “tener” and is used with an object such as “ingredientes” or “tomates”.
La “La” means “the” in “La receta”. It is capitalized because it begins the sentence and comes directly before “receta”.
receta “Receta” means “recipe” in “La receta necesita cebollas y tomates”. It is the thing that requires the listed ingredients.
necesita “Necesita” means “needs” here: the recipe requires onions and tomatoes. It comes from “necesitar” and is used with the needed items, such as “cebollas y tomates”.
cebollas “Cebollas” means “onions” in the recipe and in the discussion about what is missing. The plural form refers to onions as an ingredient rather than to one onion.
y “Y” means “and” and joins the two ingredients in “cebollas y tomates”. It is used to connect items in a list.
tomates “Tomates” means “tomatoes” in the list of ingredients and in “Tenemos tomates”. It refers to the tomatoes that are available.
pero “Pero” means “but” and marks a contrast between having tomatoes and not having onions left. It commonly connects two contrasting statements.
no “No” makes the phrase negative in “no nos quedan cebollas”. Together with “nos quedan”, it says that there are no onions left for the speakers.
nos “Nos” refers to “us” in “no nos quedan cebollas”. In this expression, it identifies the people for whom something remains or does not remain; the whole phrase means that they have no onions left.
quedan “Quedan” means “remain” or “are left” in “no nos quedan cebollas”. With “no” and “nos”, it expresses that the speakers have run out of onions.
Podemos “Podemos” means “can we” in the question “¿Podemos usar cebollas verdes en su lugar?”. It asks whether the speakers are able or allowed to use something and is followed by the infinitive “usar”.
usar “Usar” means “to use” in “Podemos usar cebollas verdes”. It is an infinitive after “Podemos” and takes the item being used as its object.
verdes “Verdes” means “green” in “cebollas verdes”, identifying the type of onions being considered as a substitute. It describes the plural noun “cebollas”.
en “En” means “in” in “en su lugar”. Together with the rest of that expression, it indicates using something instead of another option.
su “Su” marks possession in “en su lugar”, referring to the place of the other option. It contributes the possessive meaning, while the complete expression “en su lugar” means “instead”.
lugar “Lugar” means “place” in “en su lugar”. With “en su”, the complete expression means using the green onions instead of the onions originally needed.
Tal vez “Tal vez” means “maybe” and expresses uncertainty about using green onions. “Tal” and “vez” work together as one expression, and both components are needed for this meaning.
el “El” means “the” in “el sabor”. It comes before the noun “sabor” and identifies the taste being discussed.
sabor “Sabor” means “taste” in “el sabor será diferente”. It refers to the quality of the food that may change if different onions are used.
será “Será” means “will be” in “el sabor será diferente”, describing a possible future result. It comes from “ser” and links “el sabor” with the description “diferente”.
diferente “Diferente” means “different” in “el sabor será diferente”. It describes how the taste is expected to differ from the original taste.
Entonces “Entonces” means “then” here and introduces the action that follows from the previous suggestion. It is useful for stating a decision or consequence in a conversation.
compraré “Comprar​é” means “I will buy” in “Entonces compraré cebollas”. It comes from “comprar” and expresses the speaker’s decision to buy the missing onions.
tienda “Tienda” means “shop” or “store” in “la tienda de la esquina”. It names the place where the speaker plans to buy the onions.
esquina “Esquina” means “corner” in “la tienda de la esquina”. In this phrase, it helps identify the shop by its location at the corner.
Todavía “Todavía” means “still” in “Todavía tenemos que medir el arroz”. It shows that measuring the rice remains to be done.
que In “tenemos que medir”, “que” is part of the construction meaning “need to”. It comes between a form of “tener” and the infinitive that names the necessary action.
medir “Medir” means “to measure” in “tenemos que medir el arroz”. It is the action that still needs to be completed and takes “el arroz” as its object.
arroz “Arroz” means “rice” in “medir el arroz”. It is the food being measured, and the phrase refers to measuring the amount needed for the meal.
Mediré “Mediré” means “I will measure” in “Mediré suficiente arroz”. It comes from “medir” and states the speaker’s planned future action.
suficiente “Suficiente” means “enough” in “suficiente arroz”. It indicates that the amount of rice will meet the needs of the people being served.
para “Para” means “for” in “para cuatro personas”. It introduces the people who will be served and specifies the purpose or intended amount.
personas “Personas” means “people” in “cuatro personas”. It identifies the four individuals for whom the rice will be measured.
cuando “Cuando” means “when” and introduces the time condition in “cuando vuelva”. It connects the measuring action with the speaker’s return.
vuelva “Vuelva” means “I get back” in “cuando vuelva”. It identifies the return as the time after which the speaker will measure the rice.

Grammar Points

antes de + infinitivo

Antes de empezar a cocinar

AHN-tehs deh ehm-peh-SAR ah koh-see-NAR

Before starting to cook

Spanish uses de + the infinitive after antes de, including when the subject stays the same.

cuando + subjuntivo

cuando vuelva

KWAHN-doh BWEHL-bah

when I return

For a future event after cuando, Spanish uses the subjunctive: vuelva.

Spanish Vocabulary

antes de prep
AHN-tehs deh before

Antes de empezar a cocinar

cebollas noun
seh-BOH-yahs onions

La receta necesita cebollas y tomates.

cocinar verb
koh-see-NAR to cook

empezar a cocinar

empezar verb
ehm-peh-SAR to start

Antes de empezar a cocinar

ingredientes noun
een-greh-DYEN-tehs ingredients

¿Qué ingredientes tenemos?

necesita verb
neh-seh-SEE-tah needs

La receta necesita cebollas y tomates.

no nos quedan phrase
noh nohs KEH-dahn we have none left

No nos quedan cebollas.

qué det
keh what

¿Qué ingredientes tenemos?

receta noun
reh-SEH-tah recipe

La receta necesita cebollas y tomates.

tenemos verb
teh-NEH-mohs we have

¿Qué ingredientes tenemos?

tomates noun
toh-MAH-tehs tomatoes

La receta necesita cebollas y tomates.

usar verb
oo-SAR to use

¿Podemos usar cebollas verdes?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The recipe needs onions and tomatoes.

Show AnswerLa receta necesita cebollas y tomates.

We still need to measure the rice.

Show AnswerTodavía tenemos que medir el arroz.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

ingredients

Show Answeringredientes

to start

Show Answerempezar

needs

Show Answernecesita

recipe

Show Answerreceta