How to Say "to lick" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to lick” is “chupar” — use 'chupar' when the tongue is used to draw liquid or flavor from something, like eating ice cream or sucking on a pacifier..
chupar
/choo-PAHR//t͡ʃuˈpaɾ/
Examples
Me gusta chupar caramelos duros.
I like to suck on hard candies.
El bebé se chupa el pulgar cuando tiene sueño.
The baby sucks his thumb when he is sleepy.
No te chupes los dedos, usa una servilleta.
Don't lick your fingers, use a napkin.
A los niños les gusta chupar caramelos de fresa.
Children like to suck on strawberry candies.
Doing it to yourself
When talking about sucking your own body part (like a thumb), you must add 'se' before the verb: 'Él SE chupa el dedo'.
Talking about body parts
In Spanish, we say 'el dedo' (the finger) rather than 'mi dedo' (my finger) when using this verb, because the 'se' already tells us whose finger it is.
Forgetting the 'se'
Mistake: “El niño chupa el dedo.”
Correction: El niño se chupa el dedo. Use 'se' to show the child is sucking his own finger.
lamer
/lah-MEHR//laˈmeɾ/
Examples
El gato lame su pelaje para limpiarse.
The cat licks its fur to clean itself.
El perro lame la mano de su dueño.
The dog licks its owner's hand.
La niña lamió el helado de chocolate.
The girl licked the chocolate ice cream.
El gato se está lamiendo las patas para limpiarse.
The cat is licking its paws to clean itself.
It's completely regular
Lamer follows the exact same pattern as 'comer.' If you know how to say 'I eat' (como), you know how to say 'I lick' (lamo)!
Using 'se' for self-cleaning
When animals lick themselves, we add 'se' to the end: 'El perro se lame.' This shows the action stays with the animal.
Lamer vs. Chupar
Mistake: “Using 'lamer' for a lollipop you keep in your mouth.”
Correction: Use 'chupar' for things you suck on (like lollipops) and 'lamer' for things you just touch with your tongue (like an ice cream cone).
Chupar vs. Lamer
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