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A piece of rich chocolate cake sitting on a plate, garnished with a bright red strawberry.

postre

POH-stray

nounmA1
dessert?The sweet course at the end of a meal
Also:sweet?Shortened term for dessert

📝 In Action

¿Qué quieres de postre? Tenemos tarta de chocolate.

A1

What do you want for dessert? We have chocolate cake.

El postre favorito de mi abuela es el flan.

A2

My grandmother's favorite dessert is flan.

Siempre pido un postre ligero después de una cena pesada.

B1

I always order a light dessert after a heavy dinner.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • dulce (sweet thing/dessert)
  • golosina (sweet treat/candy)

Common Collocations

  • pedir el postre – to order dessert
  • de postre – for dessert
  • un postre casero – a homemade dessert

Idioms & Expressions

  • a la postre – in the end; eventually; finally (used to talk about something that happens after a long time or after many events)

💡 Grammar Points

Gender Rule Breaker

Even though many Spanish nouns that end in '-e' can be either masculine or feminine, 'postre' is always masculine: el postre.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Postre and Dulce

Mistake: "Using 'dulce' when referring specifically to the course after dinner (e.g., 'Quiero un dulce')."

Correction: While 'dulce' means 'sweet' and can sometimes mean 'dessert,' it's safer and clearer to use 'postre' when talking about the final dish of a meal. 'Dulce' is often used for candies or general sweet treats.

⭐ Usage Tips

Asking for Dessert

To ask for dessert in a restaurant, the most natural structure is '¿Qué tienen de postre?' (What do you have for dessert?) or simply '¿Me trae la carta de postres?' (Could you bring me the dessert menu?).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: postre

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'postre'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

póstumo(posthumous (after death)) - adjective
posterior(later/rear) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'postre' always masculine?

Yes, 'postre' is a masculine noun, so you must always use the masculine articles and adjectives with it (el postre, un postre, los postres, etc.).

Does 'a la postre' mean 'for dessert'?

No. Although it contains the word 'postre,' the phrase 'a la postre' is an idiom meaning 'in the end' or 'eventually.' To say 'for dessert,' you use 'de postre' ('Quiero pastel de postre').