How to Say "leftovers" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “leftovers” is “sobras” — use 'las sobras' when referring to the food remaining from a meal that you might pack up to eat later..
sobras
Examples
¿Puedes empacar las sobras de la cena?
Can you pack up the leftovers from dinner?
resto
/RREHS-toh//'resto/
Examples
El resto de la comida se guardó en la nevera.
The rest of the food was put in the fridge.
El resto del grupo llegará más tarde.
The rest of the group will arrive later.
Puedes comerte el resto de la pizza si quieres.
You can eat the rest of the pizza if you want.
Guardamos los restos de la cena para el almuerzo de mañana.
We saved the leftovers from dinner for tomorrow's lunch.
Always Use 'el resto de'
When you want to say 'the rest of something', you always need to add 'de' after 'el resto'. For example, 'el resto del día' (the rest of the day) or 'el resto de la gente' (the rest of the people).
'el resto' vs. 'los restos'
Mistake: “Usé el resto para hablar de la comida que sobró.”
Correction: Generally, for 'leftovers' (food), it's better to use the plural form: 'Guardé los restos de la cena'. 'El resto' refers to the remaining part of a single thing, like 'el resto de la película' (the rest of the movie).
Choosing Between 'Sobras' and 'Resto'
Related Translations
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