A small wooden bowl filled with whole black peppercorns and a small pile of ground black pepper beside it.

pimienta

pee-mee-EHN-tah

nounfA1

pepper?the ground spice or peppercorns

Also:black pepper?specifically the dark ground variety

📝 In Action

Pásame la sal y la pimienta, por favor.

Pass me the salt and pepper, please.

Esta sopa tiene mucha pimienta y pica un poco.

This soup has a lot of pepper and is a bit spicy.

Me gusta la pimienta recién molida.

I like freshly ground pepper.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

pimienta negra – black pepper
pimienta blanca – white pepper
grano de pimienta – peppercorn
molinillo de pimienta – pepper mill

Idioms & Expressions

tener mucha pimienta – to be very lively or full of spirit

💡 Grammar Points

Always Feminine

In Spanish, the spice is always 'la pimienta' (feminine). It doesn't change to 'pimiento' just because you are talking about a specific type.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Pimienta vs. Pimiento

Mistake: "Using 'pimiento' when you mean the spice on the table."

Correction: Use 'pimienta' for the small spice grains and 'pimiento' for the larger vegetable like a bell pepper.

⭐ Usage Tips

Cooking Context

When a recipe asks for 'pimienta,' it almost always refers to black pepper unless it specifies 'blanca' (white) or 'verde' (green).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: pimienta

Question 1 of 1

Which of these would you find in a small shaker on a restaurant table?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

pimiento(bell pepper) - noun

pimentero(pepper shaker) - noun

pimentón(paprika) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'pimienta' used for spicy chili peppers?

No. For chili peppers, Spanish speakers usually use 'chile,' 'ají,' or 'guindilla' depending on the country. 'Pimienta' is specifically for peppercorns (black, white, etc.).

What is 'pimienta gorda'?

This refers to 'allspice,' which has larger berries that look like oversized peppercorns.