¿Tú cocinas?
You cook?
He comes home to find a guest wearing an apron in his kitchen, and before asking why they're there, he asks about cooking with the tú form, cocinas.
From Suits · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "cook" in Spanish
cocinar
verbregular -aryo cocinothe person: el cocinero
"To cook" in Spanish is cocinar, a regular -ar verb: yo cocino, tú cocinas, ella cocina. If you mean the person, a cook or a chef, say el cocinero for a man and la cocinera for a woman.
Hear "cocinar" in a real movie scene
One scene where someone asks about it. The video starts and stops on that line.
Phrases with cocinar
Six combinations you can use in the kitchen and at the table.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| cocinar la cena | to cook dinner |
| cocinar en casa | to cook at home |
| cocinar para alguien | to cook for someone |
| cocinar a fuego lento | to cook on low heat |
| saber cocinar | to know how to cook |
| ¿Qué cocinas? | What are you cooking? |
Tip: In Spain la comida is also the midday meal, so hacer la comida is a common way to say you're cooking lunch.
Grammar: cocinar, cocino, el cocinero
Four points for talking about cooking.
Regular -ar endings
cocino, cocinas, cocina, cocinamos, cocináis, cocinan. Except in cocinamos and cocináis, the stress lands on -ci-: koh-SEE-noh.The person who cooks
el cocinero, la cocinera. For a job, leave out the article after ser: Mi tío es cocinero.Say how well with bien
Put bien or mal after the verb: Cocino muy bien. Mi hermano cocina mal.Cooking as an activity
Where English says cooking, Spanish uses the infinitive: Me gusta cocinar. Cocinar es fácil.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
La chica cocina muy bien.
The girl cooks very well.
¡Perfecto! Tú cocinas, yo bailo.
Perfect! You cook, I dance.
En muchas formas, cocinar es como la música.
In many ways, cooking is like music.
¿Y qué tal cocinas?
And how well do you cook?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Yo cocina
✓Yo cocino
Talking about yourself, use cocino. Cocina is the form for él, ella and usted.
✗Me gusta cocino
✓Me gusta cocinar
After me gusta, keep the verb in its dictionary form.
✗Cocinas muy bueno
✓Cocinas muy bien
Bueno describes a thing, like the food. To say how someone cooks, use bien.
Real conversation: planning a house party
A short dialog with your roommate in the living room.
At home in the shared living room, your roommate Julia is planning Saturday's house party and handing out jobs.
¿Tú bailas salsa?
Do you dance salsa?
No, no bailo.
No, I don't dance.
¡Qué pena! ¿Y cocinas?
Too bad! And do you cook?
Your turn to answer
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How to remember it
Cocinar has cocina, the kitchen, inside it. What you do in la cocina is cocinar.
Questions about "cook" in Spanish
How do you say cook in Spanish?
The verb is cocinar, so I cook is yo cocino. A person who cooks is el cocinero or la cocinera.
How do you ask "can you cook?" in Spanish?
¿Sabes cocinar? Spanish uses saber for a skill you have learned. A simpler question is ¿Cocinas?, do you cook?
What is the difference between cocinar and cocina?
Cocinar is the verb, to cook. La cocina is the kitchen, and cocina without an article is also the verb form for he or she cooks: Ana cocina.
How do you say chef in Spanish?
El cocinero or la cocinera works for any cook. Restaurants also use el chef, and the head of the kitchen is el jefe de cocina.
