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How to Say "gourd" in Spanish

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calabaza

kah-lah-BAH-sahkalaˈβaθa

nounA1general
Use 'calabaza' when referring to the actual plant or fruit, especially the large, hard-shelled varieties like pumpkins, often used for decoration or cooking.
A large, round orange pumpkin sitting in a green field.

Examples

Decoramos la casa con una calabaza para el Día de Muertos.

We decorated the house with a gourd for the Day of the Dead.

Compramos una calabaza enorme para Halloween.

We bought a huge pumpkin for Halloween.

Me gusta la crema de calabaza en invierno.

I like pumpkin soup in the winter.

Feminine Noun Basics

Since this word ends in 'a', it is feminine. Use 'la' for one (la calabaza) and 'las' for many (las calabazas).

Pumpkin vs. Zucchini

Mistake: “Using 'calabaza' when you mean 'zucchini'.”

Correction: Use 'calabacín' for the small green summer squash (zucchini) and 'calabaza' for the larger winter varieties.

maté

nounA2cultural, general
Use 'maté' (or 'mate') when referring to the traditional cup made from a hollowed-out gourd, used for drinking the South American herbal tea of the same name.

Examples

Mi abuelo toma mate todas las mañanas en su taza de calabaza.

My grandfather drinks mate every morning in his gourd cup.

Confusing the Fruit with the Drink Container

The most common mistake is using 'calabaza' when you mean the cup for drinking mate. Remember, 'calabaza' is the plant/fruit itself, while 'maté' is specifically the vessel made from a gourd for drinking the tea.

Related Translations

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