Latest / Learn Spanish with Fexingo / Spanish Kitchen Verbs - Cook and Eat
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Spanish with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. It is so good to be here with you again. Lucas: Yes. Today we are doing something different. We are in the kitchen. Luna: Oh, my favorite place. Or at least, my favorite place if there is food involved. Lucas: That is usually the case. Last week we were at the library, being very quiet. Now we are going to make some noise. And some smells. Luna: Exactly. So, what are we making today? Are we baking a cake? Lucas: No cake today. Just a simple dinner. Let us start with the first phrase. It is about your intention. Luna: Okay. I am listening. Lucas: The phrase is: Voy a cocinar la cena. Luna: Voy a cocinar la cena. Lucas: Perfect. Let me break it down. Voy means I go. A means to. Cocinar means to cook. La cena means the dinner. Luna: So literally, I go to cook the dinner. But it sounds more natural in English as I am going to cook dinner. Lucas: Exactly. It expresses a future plan. A very common structure. Try it again, but slower. Luna: Voy... a... cocinar... la cena. Lucas: There you go. Very clear. Now, imagine you are standing in the kitchen. You want to cook, but you realize something is missing. Luna: Oh no. What could be missing? Lucas: A big pot. To boil pasta or soup. The word for pot is olla. But first, we need the verb for needing. Luna: Necesitar. Yes. I know that one. Lucas: Good. So the phrase is: Necesito una olla. Luna: Necesito una olla. Lucas: Nice pronunciation. Necesito means I need. Una is the feminine article for a. Olla is the pot. Luna: It feels important to have the right tools. If I do not have the pot, I cannot make the soup. Lucas: True. So now you have the pot. You put water in it. But wait. You also have vegetables. Luna: Carrots and onions? Lucas: Yes. And you are preparing them right now. This brings us to the third phrase. It uses the present continuous tense. Luna: The ing form in English. Like I am doing something. Lucas: Right. In Spanish, we use estar plus the -ando or -iendo ending. The phrase is: Estoy cortando las verduras. Luna: Estoy cortando las verduras. Lucas: Beautiful. Estoi means I am. Cortando means cutting. Las verduras means the vegetables. Luna: Cortando. Cutting. That comes from cortar, which means to cut. Makes sense. Lucas: Yes. Notice how the action is happening right now. It is active. You are holding the knife. You are slicing the carrots. Luna: I can almost hear the chopping sound. Chop chop chop. Lucas: Chop chop chop. Okay. But hold on. Where is the knife? Luna: Oh. Right. I cannot cut without the tool. Lucas: This leads to our fourth phrase. It is a question. Asking for location. Luna: Do I ask ¿Dónde está el cuchillo? Lucas: You do. Dónde means where. Está means is. El cuchillo means the knife. Luna: ¿Dónde está el cuchillo? Lucas: Excellent intonation. Your voice goes up at the end. It shows you are asking a question. Luna: And the answer would probably be over there. On the counter. Lucas: Probably. So you find the knife. You finish cutting the vegetables. The water is boiling in the pot. The dinner is coming together. Luna: It smells amazing. I am hungry already. Lucas: But before we eat, we must prepare the space. In many cultures, setting the table is an act of care. Luna: I love that. It makes the meal feel special. Lucas: Yes. So our final phrase is about this preparation. It is an invitation. Vamos a poner la mesa. Luna: Vamos a poner la mesa. Lucas: Vamos means let us go or let us. A means to. Poner means to put or to set. La mesa means the table. Luna: So it literally means let us put the table. But it really means let us set the table. Lucas: Exactly. It is a suggestion. A team effort. You bring the plates. I bring the glasses. Luna: Vamos a poner la mesa. I like saying that. It feels welcoming. Lucas: It does. So let us review what we have learned today. We talked about cooking dinner. Luna: Voy a cocinar la cena. Lucas: We needed a pot. Luna: Necesito una olla. Lucas: We were cutting vegetables. Luna: Estoy cortando las verduras. Lucas: We looked for the knife. Luna: ¿Dónde está el cuchillo? Lucas: And we set the table together. Luna: Vamos a poner la mesa. Lucas: Great job. You are building a nice routine. Cooking, needing, cutting, asking, setting. Luna: It is like a little story. First I decide to cook. Then I get the tools. Then I do the work. Then I prepare to eat. Lucas: That is exactly how language works too. One step after another. Building meaning. Luna: I am ready to sit down and eat now. Even if the food is imaginary. Lucas: Imaginary food is still delicious. Especially when you have practiced the words. Luna: Speaking of practice, I hope you are enjoying these episodes. They help me so much. Lucas: They do. And if Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with Spanish, we have a small request. Luna: Yeah. Supporting the show keeps it free and ad-free for everyone. Lucas: If you want to contribute, you can visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Even a small amount helps us keep recording these conversations for you. Thank you. Lucas: Back to the kitchen. Imagine the dinner is served. You are sitting down. Luna: Yeah. The vegetables look perfect. The soup is hot. Lucas: Remember, you can say you are cooking dinner anytime you are planning it. Voy a cocinar la cena. Luna: Or if you are looking for a specific item. Necesito una olla. Or maybe just a spoon. Lucas: Or a fork. Or a napkin. The vocabulary grows as you live the experience. Luna: I think I will try making this recipe tomorrow. With real vegetables. Lucas: That would be wonderful. Practice in the real world is always best. Luna: Until then, I will keep practicing the phrases in my head. While I brush my teeth. Lucas: Any time is a good time. Goodnight, Luna. Luna: Goodnight, Lucas. And happy cooking to you all.