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Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Thursday June 19, 2008
cuchara, noun:
spoon
Cucharas, spoons, come in many shapes and sizes:
una cuchara de sopa
a soup spoon
una cuchara de postre
a dessert spoon
La cuchara also illustrates what three common suffixes mean, and how they work. First, the suffix -ón added to a noun means a larger version of the object referred to by the noun. If you add -ón to cuchara you get un cucharón, a ladle.
Va probando el caldo con un cucharón de palo.
He tastes the stock with a wooden spoon.
The suffix -ada refers to an amount or a group of something. If you add it to cuchara, you get una cucharada, a spoonful. Typically you find it in recipes.
tres cucharadas de azúcar
three spoonfuls of sugar
The suffix -ito, -ita, which has been a previous Word of the Day, refers to a smaller version of the noun to which it is added. If you add -ita to cucharada, you get una cucharadita, a small spoonful, a teaspoonful.
el jugo de un limón y una cucharadita de azúcar
the juice of a lemon and a teaspoonful of sugar
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