Inklingo

How to Say "bowl" in Spanish

English → Spanish

bol

bohlbol

nounA1general
Use 'bol' for a deep, often round, container used for individual servings of food, such as cereal or soup.
A bright blue ceramic bowl sitting on a wooden table.

Examples

Pongo los cereales en un bol.

I put the cereal in a bowl.

¿Tienes un bol grande para la ensalada?

Do you have a large bowl for the salad?

Necesitamos varios boles de cristal para el postre.

We need several glass bowls for the dessert.

Gender and Articles

This word is a 'male' word. You should always use 'el' or 'un' with it: 'el bol' or 'un bol'.

Making it Plural

Because the word ends in a consonant, you add '-es' to make it plural. One is 'un bol', two are 'dos boles'.

English Spelling

Mistake: “Me gusta este bowl.”

Correction: Me gusta este bol.

fuente

FWEHN-tehˈfwen̪.te

nounA2general
Use 'fuente' for a larger serving dish, platter, or tureen, often used to present food to multiple people, like a salad or a main course.
A large, oval white ceramic serving dish (platter) piled high with colorful, steaming roasted vegetables placed on a wooden table.

Examples

Sirve el pollo en la fuente grande, por favor.

Serve the chicken on the large serving dish, please.

La fuente de ensalada está casi vacía.

The salad bowl/platter is almost empty.

Context is Key

When you hear 'fuente' in a kitchen, it almost certainly means the vessel holding the food, not a water fountain!

Confusing 'bol' and 'fuente'

The most common mistake is using 'bol' for a large serving dish meant for sharing. Remember that 'bol' is usually for one person's portion, while 'fuente' is for presenting food to a group.

Related Translations

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