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"Snack" is a noun which is often translated as "el tentempié", and "nibble" is a transitive verb which is often translated as "mordisquear". Learn more about the difference between "snack" and "nibble" below.
snack(
snahk
)A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
1. (light meal)
a. el tentempié (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
I went to the fridge, looking for a little snack.Fui a la nevera, buscando un pequeño tentempié.
b. el refrigerio (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
We had a snack during our coffee break.Comimos un refrigerio durante el descanso.
d. la merienda (F) (eaten in the afternoon)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
I had a snack after I got home from school.Me comí una merienda al regresar de la escuela.
e. el piscolabis (M) (Spain)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Regionalism used in Spain
I had a snack before the exam.Me tomé un piscolabis antes del examen.
g. la picadera (F) (Dominican Republic) (Puerto Rico)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Regionalism used in the Dominican Republic
Regionalism used in Puerto Rico
Our office has unlimited snacks.Nuestra oficina tiene picadera ilimitada.
h. la colación (F) (eaten around noon) (Chile) (Ecuador) (Mexico)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Regionalism used in Chile
Regionalism used in Ecuador
Regionalism used in Mexico
The children had a snack after their geography class.Los niños se tomaron su colación después de la clase de geografía.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. tomarse un tentempié
We snacked while watching the game.Nos tomamos un tentempié mientras veíamos el partido.
nibble(
nih
-
buhl
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
a. mordisquear
Melissa nibbled a bit of chocolate while she watched the movie.Melissa mordisqueó un poco de chocolate mientras miraba la película.
b. picar
Tom nibbled the bread in between spoonfuls of soup.Tom picaba pan entre cucharadas de sopa.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. mordisquear
Tom nibbled on chocolate chip cookies while he read his novel.Tom mordisqueaba galletas con trocitos de chocolate mientras leía su novela.
b. picar
Garrett and Sheila nibbled at their sandwiches as they got to know one another.Garrett y Sheila picaban sus sándwiches a medida que se iban conociendo.
A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
3. (small bite)
a. el mordisquito (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
Linda had a nibble of Andy's pastry.Linda le dio un mordisquito al pan dulce de Andy.
nibbles
A plural noun indicates that there is more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
4. (culinary)
a. la comida para picar (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
There will be nibbles at the meeting in case anyone is hungry.Habrá comida para picar en la reunión por si alguien tiene hambre.
