Lime = limón or lima?
I learned in Rosetta Stone this:
lime = lima
lemon = limón
However, I looked at a package of" Lime Jell-o" last night and it said
"Lime (limón)"
On the same note, I ordered a Corona (beer) here in a Mexican restaurant (in Spanish) and asked for it with a "lima" (thinking lime) but was told by the Spanish speaking waiter that it was said "limón".
Huh? How can they be interchangeable? They are very different.
17 Answers
Hi Amykay,
As soon as I saw your question, I thought of this lemon/lime debate from last year. I'm not sure if you will find a definitive answer but here it is. 
Some people seemed to back up what I thought (or learned) and someone said that in México where they live they have never even seen a lemon! (yellow kind). So that's why "limón" is the only word used. Which is weird too, México is the perfect climate to grow lemons!
I have mentioned elsewhere that the names for fruits and vegetables are very tricky, because in practically every country, and even within different regions of the same country, the names can be very different. We have had similar discussions for bananas, potatoes, and assorted other fruits and veggies.
In my experience, in most of the Caribbean Latin America, including Mexico, people refer to the small green citrus (known as "lime" in the US) as "Limón".
The larger yellow lemon is either unknown, or called something else, such as "limón francés" or what have you. I was certainly very surprised the first time I realized that people in the US would think of that large yellow fruit as "lemon"!
I am sure the yellow lemon is grown in Mexico. What exactly they call it I don't know, and again, I wouldn't be surprised if different regions had different names for it.
I can validate what lorenzo said. I learned what you did, but here in SoCal everything is a limón, regardless of whether it's a lime or lemon. This appears to be most common in Mexican Spanish.
In Ecuador, lime is limón and lemons are not available. Lima means file.
In Los Angeles, both lemons and limes were called limones by Mexicans.
In Perú what we call "lima" is a medium-sized citrus fruit with a very thick yellowish skin which can be peeled and eaten as you would with an organge.
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A "limón" in Perú is a very small, hard, round citrus fruit which is incredibly acidic and used in cooking, especially to prepare ceviche as it cures the fish.
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I am yet to find either of these fruits in the UK! I also never saw what is considered a "lime" or "lemon" in the UK when I was in Perú.
Thank you for that link Nicole! I read all of the entries, but nothing was cleared up! 
Some people seemed to back up what I thought (or learned) and someone said that in México where they live they have never even seen a lemon! (yellow kind). So that's why "limón" is the only word used. Which is weird too, México is the perfect climate to grow lemons!
I learned in Rosetta Stone this:
lime = lima
lemon = limón
Huh? How can they be interchangeable? They are very different.
They are not interchangeable in Spain. We use them as stated in your Spanish course. Before reading Lorenzo's note, if I had asked for a "limón" and I got a lime, I'd had said something like, "Perdone, esto es una lima, no un limón".
Ok, guys. Too much speculation. Here is how it is: For Spain and some latinamerican countries: Lime = Lima; Lemon = Limon.
For Mexico, Guatemala and other american countries: Lime = Limon; Lemon = Lima.
Fact is some countries don't have either one or the other. Ecuador, for example only have lemons (yellow), while in Mexico limes (yes, the green ones we call them limón) are found everywhere and lemons (limas for us) are different in shape and vaguely consumed due its lack of sour-power.
Argentinians do not make any difference between them, they just call them both limón. How do I know?: first of all, we Mexicans are really crazy about limes (we pour its juice in everything). Also, I travel a lot, and in Spain and other spanish-speaking countries I have had big time trying to figure out at restaurants which one is each. While in the United States and the United Kingdom the translation from English is just as to Spanish from Spain, so first time I asked in English for a lemon, I got the yellow one.
I agree with Gekkosan, translation of fruits and vegetables can be very tricky because different regions can use the same word for completely different things. For example, in Bolivia they call “chestnuts” "almendras" while most countries call them "castañas" and "almendras" are used to refer to “almonds”.
I am from the USA and have resided in Bolivia and Peru and traveled quite a bit to Mexico so have actually seen and eaten the fruits in question. For these regions there is not a clear answer.
In the USA, “lemons” are yellow and smaller than your typical orange. “Limes” are green and typically smaller than lemons. While their taste is a little different, they are very similar. Both are sour and used for food preparation (in other words, you normally would not peel them and eat them as a fruit, they are too sour).
In the Latin American countries that I am familiar with, there is no distinction between what we call “lemons” and “limes”. They are all just different varieties of "limones". On the other hand, "limas" are a different fruit altogether. They are typically yellow and vary in size between an orange and a grapefruit. They are slightly sweet and are peeled and eaten like an orange. The best way I can describe it is like a grapefruit that is not bitter and less sweet. I have never seen "limas" in the USA.
It can be a bit unnerving to find absolutes not so absolute (don’t get me started on how many continents there are). But to say “lemon=limón and lime=lima” is an absolute that does not hold up. The reality is that “limón” is normally a good translation for “lemon” but it is normally used for “lime” also. And “lima” is rarely a good translation for “lime”.
Its just like in portuguese , i guess. In european portuguese lime = lima and lemon=limão.In brazilian portuguese limão stands for lime and lima is a sweet citrus fruit that you eat like a orange but has a smoother and sweeter taste.
In Spain it's like you said: "lima" is the green, smaller fruit, and "limón" is the yellow one. And "limones" are a lot more common, too.
Lima is Lemon Limón is Lime
As stated previously, in Mexico if you ask for a limón you will get a lime. If you want a a yellow lemon, then ask for it specifically...limón amarillo.
When in doubt....
El limón, ¿es verde o amarillo?
¿Hay limones amarillos?
Problem solved.
And while we're on the subject, you will surely hear a Mexican call a "tomate" a "jitomate". Now you won't be lost like I was the first time I heard it.
I tend toward Castilian Spanish. Therefore, "lima",,,,AH....I'm confused already. "Lima" es "lemon" and "limón" is ";lime". I"m disinigrating. ¡Argh! I'm in the middle of a paella and I can't think. I ask for the green ones or the yellow ones to avoid confusion.
In the same vein, there are "bananas", "plátanos",and "guineos". Go figure!.
In Intuit (?) there are 156 terms to describe different kinds of snow (nieve).
"Limón" can be lemon or a Mexican hybrid (lemon & lime) which can be yellow to a light green usually light than an actual lime, while "lima" is simply "lime". You rarely see a yellow lemon south of the US border.
