Oiga, oiga, ¿y mi desayuno?
Hey, hey, what about my breakfast?
Out on the street, a man who has missed out on everything else asks for the one thing he wants, and mi desayuno is the meal he was counting on.
From Un papá genial · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "breakfast" in Spanish
el desayuno
nounmasculineplural: los desayunosverb: desayunar
"Breakfast" in Spanish is el desayuno. The verb desayunar means to have breakfast, so Desayuno a las ocho is "I have breakfast at eight". Spanish gives each meal its own verb, and you'll use them more often than the nouns.
Hear "desayuno" in real movie scenes
A complaint and a compliment. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Un desayuno para campeones.
A breakfast for champions.
Said as praise over a table set for breakfast, the line tells everyone the day is off to a good start.
From Suits · Spanish audio
The meals of the day in Spanish
Each meal has a noun and a verb. Lunch depends on where you are.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el desayuno | breakfast | Verb: desayunar. |
| el almuerzo | lunch in most of Latin America | In parts of Spain it's a mid-morning snack. Verb: almorzar. |
| la comida | lunch in Spain, also food | The main meal in Spain, around two or three. Verb: comer. |
| la merienda | afternoon snack | Verb: merendar. |
| la cena | dinner, supper | Verb: cenar. |
Tip: With a verb for every meal, Desayuno a las ocho does the job of "I eat breakfast at eight" in two words.
Grammar: el desayuno, desayunar
Four points for the first meal of the day.
A masculine noun
It's el desayuno, plural los desayunos. Adjectives follow it: un desayuno sano.Desayuno is also a verb form
Desayuno can mean "I have breakfast", from desayunar. With el in front, it's the meal.What's for breakfast
¿Qué hay de desayuno? To answer: De desayuno hay café y tostadas.Stress the YOO
Say deh-sah-YOO-noh, with the stress on the third syllable.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Después preparo el desayuno.
After that, I'll make breakfast.
El desayuno está en la mesa.
Breakfast is on the table.
Un desayuno para campeones.
A breakfast for champions.
Desayuno, comida y cena.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Como el desayuno a las ocho
✓Desayuno a las ocho
Desayunar already means to eat breakfast, so you don't need comer.
✗Desayuno está listo (meaning breakfast is ready)
✓El desayuno está listo
When the meal is the subject, keep the article.
✗DEH-sah-yoo-noh (pronunciation)
✓deh-sah-YOO-noh
The stress falls on the third syllable.
Real conversation: something smells good
A short dialog at home in the morning.
Your roommate Raúl opens his bedroom door, and the smell from the kitchen greets him.
¡Buenos días! ¡Qué bien huele!
Good morning! It smells so good!
Preparo el desayuno.
I'm making breakfast.
Ay, quiero dormir más.
Oh, I want to sleep some more.
Your turn to answer
In the app you reply in Spanish for the last 2 lines.
Continue the conversation in WordyPractice: 3 quick exercises
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What do you hear in the video?
The other 26 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Desayuno is des- plus ayuno, a fast. You un-fast in the morning, just as English break-fast breaks it.
Questions about "breakfast" in Spanish
How do you say breakfast in Spanish?
El desayuno. To have breakfast is desayunar: Desayuno a las ocho.
How do you say "eat breakfast" in Spanish?
Desayunar, one verb with no need for comer. ¿Desayunas en casa? asks if you have breakfast at home.
How do you ask what's for breakfast in Spanish?
¿Qué hay de desayuno? To answer, say De desayuno hay... and name the food.
How do you say breakfast, lunch and dinner in Spanish?
In Spain, desayuno, comida y cena. In most of Latin America, lunch is el almuerzo.
