"Sandwich" in Spanish

Quick Answer

Sandwich in Spanish can be el bocadillo, el emparedado, el sánduche, el sándwich, el sánguche, or la torta. Read on to learn all about sandwich in Spanish, as well as other sandwich-related vocabulary and phrases!

Sandwich in Spanish: How to Say Sandwich

Hungry to learn some Spanish? You’ve come to the right place! In this article, you’ll learn how to say sandwich in Spanish and other sandwich-related vocabulary. So, how do you say sandwich in Spanish? Let’s take a look:

Spanish	Notes
el bocadillo	Used in Spain. Sandwich made on French bread.
el emparedado
el sánduche	Used in the Andes region.
el sándwich
el sánguche	Used in the Andes region and the Southern Cone.
la torta	Used in Mexico. Similar to a sub sandwich or hoagie.

sandwich

Just What Is a Sandwich?

Did you know that certain states in the United States have actually legally defined what a sandwich is? For example, a case in Massachusetts declared that a burrito is not a sandwich, but New York’s tax laws do consider a burrito a sandwich. So, just what makes a sandwich? According to the Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, a sandwich is either “two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between” or “one slice of bread covered with food.” Does this make the famous Basque pinchos(pintxo in Basque) sandwiches? That’s a debate for another day.

Sandwich in Spanish: Types of Bread

We can’t talk about sandwiches without talking about bread! Check out how to say different types of bread in Spanish:

Spanish	English
la baguette, la baguete, la barra de pan, el pan francés	baguette, French bread
el pan de hamburguesa	hamburger bun
el pan de molde, pan de caja(Mexico, El Salvador), pan tajado(Colombia), pan lactal(Argentina), pan Bimbo	sandwich bread, sliced bread
el pan de perro caliente, la medianoche(Mexico), el pan de pancho(Argentina)	hot dog bun
el panecillo, el pancito(Argentina), el bolillo(Mexico)	roll

Yes, you read that correctly. We did say pan Bimbo. In parts of the Spanish-speaking world, people refer to sandwich bread as pan Bimbo, named for the Mexican Grupo Bimbo, a multinational that sells bread, cookies, crackers, etc., throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Let’s take a look at how we can use the vocabulary from the previous two sections in context.

examples
¿Cómo quieres tu sándwich, Violeta? ¿Con pan de molde o con un panecillo? How would you like your sandwich, Violeta? On sandwich bread or on a roll?
Juan David suele comer una torta de chorizo y huevo cada mañana. Juan David usually eats a chorizo-and-egg sandwich every morning.
¿Qué prefieres: un emparedado con pan Bimbo o un bocadillo con pan de barra? What do you prefer: a sandwich on sandwich bread or a sandwich on French bread?

Sandwich in Spanish: Popular Sandwiches

Now that you’ve mastered the basic sandwich vocabulary, let’s get more specific. Here’s how to say the most common types of sandwiches in Spanish:

Spanish	English
el choripán(River Plate, Uruguay), el bocadillo de chorizo(Spain), el pancho(Paraguay), la torta de chorizo(Mexico)	chorizo sandwich
el perro caliente, el jocho(Mexico), el pancho(River Plate)	hot-dog
el sándwich de jamón	ham sandwich
el sándwich de jamón y queso	ham and cheese sandwich
el sándwich de mantequilla de maní y jalea(Latin America), el sándwich de crema de cacahuete y mermelada(Spain), el sándwich de crema de cacahuate y mermelada(Mexico)	peanut butter and jelly sandwich
el sándwich de pavo	turkey sandwich
el sándwich de pollo	chicken sandwich
el sándwich tostado de queso	grilled cheese sandwich
la torta ahogada(Mexico)	pork sub sandwich dipped in hot sauce
la torta de milanesa(Mexico)	breaded cutlet sub sandwich
la torta de tamal(Mexico)	tamale sub sandwich

Sandwich in Spanish: Sandwich as a Verb

We can’t finish this article without recognizing that sandwich in English can also be a verb. In this case, we’d say atraparor emparedarin Spanish, as in:

examples
Estaba atrapada entre mis dos tías que no paraban de preguntarme si tenía novio. I was sandwiched between my two aunts who wouldn't stop asking me if I was dating someone.