helados
“helados” means “ice creams” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
ice creams
Also: sundaes
📝 In Action
Los niños quieren dos helados de fresa.
A1The children want two strawberry ice creams.
En esta tienda venden muchos helados diferentes.
A1In this shop they sell many different ice creams.
frozen
Also: ice-cold, freezing
📝 In Action
Tengo los pies helados por la nieve.
A2My feet are freezing because of the snow.
Nos sirvieron unos refrescos helados.
A2They served us some ice-cold sodas.
Los cristales del coche amanecieron helados.
B1The car windows were frozen this morning.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: helados
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'helados' as a noun (the food)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin 'gelatus', which means 'frozen'. It is the past form of the verb 'helar' (to freeze), which eventually became used as a name for the dessert itself.
First recorded: 13th century (as a description of cold)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'helados' always mean ice cream?
Not always! While it's the most common word for ice cream, it can also be an adjective meaning 'frozen' or 'extremely cold' when describing masculine plural nouns like 'refrescos' (sodas) or 'pies' (feet).
Should I use 'helados' for 'I am cold'?
Usually no. Use 'Tengo frío'. You only say 'estoy helado' (singular) or 'estamos helados' (plural) if you are so cold you feel like an ice cube.