Spanish Conversation · Level 108
59 words
Spanish word
tortilla
Pronunciation
IPA/toɾˈtiʝa/
Meaning
- feminine nountortilla
Example
Pásame una tortilla, por favor.
Pass me a tortilla, please.
More examples
Mi abuela hace una excelente tortilla de patatas.
My grandmother makes an excellent potato omelet.
Core concept
Round pan-cooked egg dish or thin round flatbread made from corn or wheat.
Common phrases
tortilla de patatas
potato omelet
tortilla española
Spanish omelet
tortilla de patata
potato omelet
Similar words
tortilla de patatas: Spanish-style thick potato and egg omelet cooked in a frying pan.
taco: Small folded flatbread filled with savory toppings and eaten by hand.
arepa: Small round cornmeal bread, pressed and cooked, common in Venezuela and Colombia.
pan: Oven-baked leavened staple made from fermented grain dough.
Definition in Spanish
Puede significar (1) una preparación de huevo cocinada en sartén, como la tortilla de patatas, o (2) un disco plano de masa usado como pan en América Latina.
Word origin
Tortilla derives from torta 'cake' with the diminutive -illa, and torta goes back to Latin torta (from torquere 'to twist') referring to a twisted or round cake.
Usage tips
- English speakers often expect tortilla to mean the Mexican flatbread, but in Spain it often names the potato omelet, so adding 'de patatas' makes the omelet sense clear.
Other meanings
- omeletnoun
Related words
- tortillerotortilla holdernoun
- tortillitasmall tortillanoun