Inklingo

How to Say "stale" in Spanish

English → Spanish

pasado

/pa-SA-do//paˈsa.ðo/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'pasado' when referring to food, particularly bread, that is no longer fresh and should not be eaten.
A very hard, dry, and slightly moldy piece of bread sitting on a simple wooden surface, illustrating staleness.

Examples

Este pan está pasado, no lo comas.

This bread is stale, don't eat it.

El año pasado viajé a México.

Last year I traveled to Mexico.

La semana pasada no tuvimos clase.

Last week we didn't have class.

El arroz está un poco pasado, pero se puede comer.

The rice is a little overcooked, but it's edible.

Making it Match

'Pasado' is like a chameleon. It changes its ending to match the word it's describing. Use 'pasado' for masculine words (el año pasado) and 'pasada' for feminine words (la semana pasada).

Where does it go?

When talking about time, 'pasado' almost always comes right after the noun it describes, like in 'el fin de semana pasado' (last weekend).

Also a Verb Part

You'll also see 'pasado' used with the verb 'haber' to talk about things that 'have happened'. For example, 'He pasado un buen día' (I have had a good day). Here, it's part of the verb 'pasar'.

Pasado vs. Último

Mistake: “Using 'último' to mean 'last year'.”

Correction: 'El año pasado' means 'the year before this one' (e.g., 2023). 'El último año' means 'the final year' (e.g., the last year of college). For time periods just before now, stick with 'pasado'.

duro

/DOO-roh//ˈdu.ɾo/

AdjectiveA1General
Use 'duro' to describe bread or similar items that have become hard and inedible due to lack of freshness, focusing on the texture rather than just the lack of freshness.
A cartoon hammer bouncing harmlessly off a large, perfectly smooth gray stone, illustrating physical hardness.

Examples

El pan de ayer está muy duro.

Yesterday's bread is very stale.

Esta piedra es muy dura.

This stone is very hard.

El pan de ayer está duro.

Yesterday's bread is stale.

Ha sido un año muy duro para nosotros.

It has been a very difficult year for us.

Matching the Noun

As an adjective, 'duro' changes to match the thing it describes. Use 'dura' for feminine things ('la cama dura'), 'duros' for plural masculine ('los panes duros'), and 'duras' for plural feminine ('las pruebas duras').

Confusing with 'Difícil'

Mistake: “'Duro' can mean 'difficult', but 'difícil' is often a better choice for abstract challenges like exams or problems.”

Correction: Use 'un examen difícil' (a difficult exam) instead of 'un examen duro'. 'Duro' implies more of a struggle or hardship.

Confusing 'pasado' and 'duro' for stale bread

Learners often confuse 'pasado' and 'duro' when referring to stale bread. While 'pasado' implies the food is no longer good to eat due to age, 'duro' specifically describes the hard texture that results from staleness. For bread, both can apply, but 'duro' emphasizes the physical change.

Related Translations

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