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pasta

PAHS-tahˈpas.ta

pasta

Also: noodles
NounfA1
A bowl of spaghetti noodles covered in red tomato sauce, ready to be eaten.

📝 In Action

Para la cena, vamos a cocinar pasta con salsa de tomate.

A1

For dinner, we are going to cook pasta with tomato sauce.

¿Prefieres la pasta larga o la corta?

A2

Do you prefer long pasta or short pasta?

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • plato de pasta – plate of pasta
  • salsa para pasta – pasta sauce

money, dough

Also: cash
NounfB1informal
Mexico
A neat, tall stack of generic green paper currency bills.

📝 In Action

Necesito más pasta para comprar ese coche.

B1

I need more dough (money) to buy that car.

¿Tienes suficiente pasta para pagar la cena?

B2

Do you have enough cash to pay for dinner?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • dinero (money)
  • plata (money (common in Latin America))
  • guita (cash (slang))

Common Collocations

  • ganar pasta – to earn money/dough
  • soltar la pasta – to fork over the cash

paste, dough

Also: pulp
NounfA2
A small clear jar filled with thick white paste, with a wooden stirring stick resting inside the jar.

📝 In Action

La receta dice que hay que amasar la pasta por diez minutos.

A2

The recipe says that you have to knead the dough for ten minutes.

Usa esta pasta de dientes para cepillarte.

A1

Use this toothpaste to brush your teeth.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Common Collocations

  • pasta dental – dental paste (toothpaste)
  • pasta de papel – paper pulp

cover, binding

Also: hardback
NounfB2
Spain
A single closed hardback book with a bright blue cover lying flat.

📝 In Action

Este diccionario tiene una pasta muy dura y resistente.

B2

This dictionary has a very hard and resistant cover.

El libro de texto está disponible en pasta blanda o dura.

C1

The textbook is available in softcover or hardcover.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • tapa (cover)
  • encuadernación (binding)

Common Collocations

  • pasta blanda – softcover
  • pasta dura – hardcover

Translate to Spanish

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pasta

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence uses 'pasta' in its most common slang meaning?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
pastoso(pasty, doughy) — Adjective
pastelería(pastry shop) — Noun
pastel(cake, pastry) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

The word 'pasta' comes from the Late Latin word 'pasta,' which originally meant 'dough' or 'paste.' This, in turn, came from an ancient Greek word referring to a thick porridge or dough. The meaning of 'money' (dough) is a modern slang extension of the original 'dough' meaning.

First recorded: 13th century (in Spanish)

Cognates (Related words)

Italian: pastaFrench: pâte

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'pasta' countable or uncountable when referring to the food?

Generally, it is uncountable, like 'rice' or 'water.' You would say 'mucha pasta' (a lot of pasta). However, when referring to individual cookies or pastries, it becomes plural: 'unas pastas'.

Can I use 'pasta' instead of 'dinero' everywhere?

No. 'Pasta' is informal slang for money and should only be used with friends or in very casual settings. Use 'dinero' (money) or 'plata' (silver/money, common in Latin America) in formal situations.