Spanish Conversation · Level 33
75 words
Spanish word
mate
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈmate/
Meaning
- masculine nounmate
Example
En Argentina se bebe mucho mate.
In Argentina, people drink a lot of mate.
More examples
En el parque, la gente suele compartir mate en ronda.
In the park, people tend to share mate in a circle.
Core concept
Shared infusion of yerba served in a gourd with a metal straw.
Common phrases
compartir mate
share mate
bombilla para mate
mate straw
tomar mate
have mate
Similar words
yerba mate: Dried mate leaves or ground powder sold for brewing the drink.
tereré: Cold mate infusion made with cold water or juice and served over ice, common in Paraguay.
mate cocido: Mate brewed by boiling or steeping in a pot or tea bag and served in a cup.
infusión: Beverage made by steeping tea leaves or herbs in hot water.
Definition in Spanish
Bebida por infusión hecha con hojas de yerba mate, servida en un recipiente llamado mate y habitualmente compartida entre varias personas.
Word origin
From Quechua mati 'gourd, container', Spanish mate originally named the drinking vessel and later the infusion served in it.
Usage tips
- In conversation, tomar mate means to drink mate, cebar is the verb for preparing and pouring it, and matear is an informal verb for social mate-drinking.
Other meanings
- mate plantnoun
- mate gourdnoun
- matteadjective
Related words
- materamate containernoun
- mateardrink mateverb