sopa
/SOH-pah/
soup
The most common translation of 'sopa' is soup, a warm liquid food.
📝 In Action
Mi abuela prepara la mejor sopa de verduras del mundo.
A1My grandmother makes the best vegetable soup in the world.
¿Quieres un plato de sopa caliente para empezar?
A1Would you like a bowl of hot soup to start?
En verano, me gusta tomar sopa fría como el gazpacho.
A2In summer, I like to have cold soup like gazpacho.
💡 Grammar Points
Gender Rule
Even though 'sopa' ends in 'a', it is always a feminine word and needs the female article 'la' or 'una'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Eating vs. Drinking
In Spanish, people usually say 'tomar sopa' (to take/have soup) or 'comer sopa' (to eat soup), even though it’s liquid. Both are correct.
Less commonly, 'sopa' can refer to a confusing or disorganized situation, or a mess.
sopa(noun)
mess
?a confusing or disorganized situation
soaking wet person
?used idiomatically to describe someone drenched
📝 In Action
Llegó a casa bajo la tormenta hecho una sopa.
B2He arrived home soaked (literally 'made a soup') from the storm.
El informe estaba hecho una sopa; nadie entendía los datos.
C1The report was a complete mess; nobody understood the data.
💡 Grammar Points
Use with 'Estar'
The figurative meaning often appears with the verb 'estar' (to be) to describe a temporary state, usually of being wet or confused.
⭐ Usage Tips
Figurative Extension
Think of 'sopa' as liquid and mushy. When something is 'hecho una sopa,' it's as disorganized or saturated as a bowl of soup.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: sopa
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'sopa' in its figurative, non-food meaning?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'sopa de letras' (letter soup) a common phrase?
Yes! 'Sopa de letras' is the standard Spanish term for a 'word search puzzle.' It literally means 'soup of letters,' referring to the jumble of characters.
How do I say 'soup' in plural?
The plural is 'sopas.' You might use this when referring to different types of soup ('pedimos dos sopas diferentes') or several bowls of soup.