Cooking, Household Chores, and Practical Action Verbs in Spanish
Cooking, Household Chores, and Practical Action Verbs in Spanish
In this lesson, you will learn practical verbs, tools, and quantities for simple cooking and household tasks. You will also connect these verbs with the affirmative tú commands you already know.
Preparing food
- — to prepare
- — to cut
- — to wash
- — to mix
- — to add
- — to put
- — to take out
Cooking actions
- — to cook
- — to fry
- — to boil
- — to heat
These verbs are not interchangeable. — to cook is general. — to fry means cooking in hot oil or fat. — to boil means cooking or heating in boiling liquid.
Kitchen tools
- — knife
- — cutting board
- — spoon
- — frying pan
- — pot
- — plate
- — glass
- — oven
Natural verb and object combinations
- — to cut the tomato
- — to wash the vegetables
- — to mix the ingredients
- — to add water
- — to put the pot in the kitchen
- — to heat the food
Use quantities with cooking actions
- — Add half a liter of water.
- — Put one hundred grams of rice in the pot.
- — Add one tablespoon of oil.
For this lesson, — one tablespoon is a useful kitchen quantity.
Household cleaning actions
- — to clean
- — to sweep
- — to tidy / organize
- — to put away / store
- — to wash the dishes
Lavar versus limpiar
normally involves washing with water or another liquid. is the more general verb for making something clean.
- — Wash your hands.
- — Wash the dishes.
- — Clean the table.
- — Clean the kitchen.
Ordenar versus guardar
means to make a space organized. means to put an item away or store it.
- — Tidy the room.
- — Put the books away.
- — Put the food in the refrigerator.
For this lesson, — refrigerator is useful household vocabulary.
Affirmative instructions in the kitchen
- — Wash the tomato.
- — Cut the tomato.
- — Mix the ingredients.
- — Add water.
- — Put the frying pan in the kitchen.
- — Heat the food.
Affirmative household instructions
- — Sweep the floor.
- — Clean the table.
- — Tidy the room.
- — Put the dishes away.
For this lesson, — floor is useful household vocabulary.
Do not confuse the tool with the action
Use the tool with the action that makes sense.
- — Cut the bread with the knife.
- — Mix with the spoon.
- — Fry the egg in the frying pan.
- — Boil the water in the pot.
For this lesson, — fry and — boil are affirmative tú command forms used as practical instructions.
A short household sequence
— First wash the dishes. Afterward clean the table. Then sweep the floor. Finally put the dishes away.
A practical action method
- Identify the task: preparing, cooking, cleaning, or organizing.
- Choose the verb that matches the action precisely.
- Add the object or tool that naturally belongs with the action.
- Add a quantity when the task requires one.
- Use the familiar affirmative tú command when giving a direct instruction to one person.
From Action Verbs to Following a Recipe
You can now name common kitchen and household actions and combine them with tools, objects, and quantities. The next lesson asks you to follow a short Spanish recipe or practical demonstration in the correct order.