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How to Say "serving" in Spanish

English → Spanish

porción

nounA1General
Use 'porción' when referring to a single person's amount of food, like a slice or a serving from a larger dish.

Examples

Quiero una porción de pizza de pepperoni.

I want a slice of pepperoni pizza.

echando

eh-CHAHN-doheˈtʃan.do

verbA2General
Use 'echando' when the action is actively pouring a liquid, such as serving a drink or watering plants.
A storybook illustration showing a blue liquid being poured from a pitcher into a glass.

Examples

Ella está echando agua a las plantas.

She is pouring water on the plants.

¿Estás echando mucha sal a la sopa?

Are you adding a lot of salt to the soup?

Liquids and Ingredients

This meaning of 'echando' is used frequently for adding any kind of substance, whether it's pouring coffee or mixing spices into a recipe.

ración

nounA2General
Choose 'ración' when referring to a measured or controlled amount of food, often for nutritional or rationing purposes.

Examples

Comí una ración de arroz con pollo.

I ate a portion of chicken with rice.

sirviente

seer-BYEHN-tehsiɾˈβjente

adjectiveC1Formal/Sociological
Use 'sirviente' only to describe a person or group in a position of service, often in a historical or sociological context.
A person in a white apron leaning forward to hand a plate of food to someone.

Examples

La clase sirviente tenía poco poder político en esa época.

The serving class had little political power at that time.

Adjective Position

When used to describe a noun, 'sirviente' usually comes after the noun, like in 'el grupo sirviente'.

Porción vs. Ración

Learners often confuse 'porción' and 'ración'. 'Porción' is the more general term for a serving of food (like a slice), while 'ración' implies a more specific, often measured or rationed, amount. Think of 'porción' for everyday meals and 'ración' for diets or historical contexts.

Related Translations

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