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leche

LEH-cheh/ˈletʃe/

milk

Also: dairy
NounfA1
A tall, clear glass filled with white milk, sitting next to a traditional glass milk bottle with a silver foil cap.

📝 In Action

¿Quieres café con leche o té?

A1

Do you want coffee with milk or tea?

Necesitamos un litro de leche fresca para el desayuno.

A1

We need a liter of fresh milk for breakfast.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • leche entera – whole milk
  • leche desnatada – skim milk
  • productos lácteos – dairy products

temper

Also: malice
NounfB1informal
Spain
A small cartoonish figure standing with arms crossed tightly, frowning severely, and stomping one foot to show intense anger or bad temper.

📝 In Action

Ten cuidado con ella, tiene muy mala leche.

B1

Be careful with her, she has a very bad temper (or: she's very mean-spirited).

Es una broma sin mala leche; solo queríamos reír.

B2

It's a joke with no ill will; we just wanted to laugh.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • humor (mood, temper)
  • mala uva (bad mood (Spain slang))

Idioms & Expressions

blow

Also: speed, surprise/shock
NounfB2slang
Spain
A large, wooden mallet is striking a sturdy wooden block, with visual action lines indicating the strong force of the impact.

📝 In Action

El coche iba a toda leche por la autopista.

B2

The car was going really fast (at full speed) on the highway.

Me di una leche contra la pared y ahora me duele la cabeza.

C1

I hit (or smacked) myself against the wall and now my head hurts.

¡Qué leche! ¡Se me ha olvidado el pasaporte!

C1

Darn it! I forgot my passport!

Word Connections

Synonyms

Idioms & Expressions

  • a toda leche – at full speed, very quickly
  • darse una leche – to crash, to hit oneself hard

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "leche" in Spanish:

blow→malice→milk→speed→temper→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: leche

Question 1 of 2

Which of these sentences uses 'leche' to describe a personality trait?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
lácteo(dairy (adj)) — Adjective
lechar(to milk/to produce sap (less common)) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The word 'leche' comes directly from the Latin word 'lac,' meaning milk. This root is visible in many related scientific and Spanish words, like 'lácteo' (dairy).

First recorded: Old Spanish texts (around 13th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: latteFrench: lait

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'leche' have any other very common slang meanings?

Yes. In many regions, '¡Qué leche!' or similar phrases are used as a mild curse word or an exclamation of frustration, similar to 'Darn it!' or 'What a mess!'. It's highly versatile slang, but always informal.

Why is it feminine ('la leche') even though it doesn't end in -a?

Many of the most common feminine Spanish nouns that were inherited from Latin do not follow the modern rule of ending in -a. Think of other feminine words like 'la noche' (night) and 'la flor' (flower). You just have to memorize that 'leche' is feminine.