{"id":143430,"date":"2023-06-27T10:44:30","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T14:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/cinco-de-mayo-vocabulary\/"},"modified":"2025-01-22T00:28:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T05:28:58","slug":"cinco-de-mayo-vocabulary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/cinco-de-mayo-vocabulary\/","title":{"rendered":"40+ Common Cinco de Mayo Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cinco de Mayo<\/a> marks the celebration of the Battle of Puebla which took place on the 5th of May in 1862.<\/p>\n

Although it’s a celebration of Mexican patriotism and pride, it’s actually more widely celebrated in the United States than in Mexico<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this post, you’ll learn over 40 Cinco de Mayo words so you can participate in more than just the eating and drinking!\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Spanish Words for Celebrating Cinco de Mayo<\/h2>\n

La comida<\/em> (Food)<\/h3>\n

Here’s a bit of vocabulary concerning traditional Mexican cuisine<\/a> that you’ll probably find at a typical Cinco de Mayo celebration:<\/p>\n

1. Tortilla<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014 Thin, round and unleavened pan<\/em> (bread) prepared with harina de ma\u00edz<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(cornmeal) or harina de trigo<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(wheat flour) typically served hot with toppings or fillings.<\/p>\n

2. Burrito<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 A popular Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla rolled around a relleno<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(filling) of carne<\/em> (meat), frijoles<\/em> (beans), queso<\/em>\u00a0(cheese) and other vegetables.<\/p>\n

3. Taco<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014\u00a0A zesty Mexican food consisting of tortilla (usually fried) rolled around or stuffed with filling of carne, queso, lechuga<\/em> (lettuce) and a smattering of other things, depending on the cook.<\/p>\n

4. Nacho<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014\u00a0A tortilla chip typically served with dipping sauce (salsa, queso, guacamole)<\/em> or topped with carne, queso\u00a0<\/em>and all the same roster of traditional ingredients.<\/p>\n

5. Enchilada<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 A tortilla made of ma\u00edz<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(corn),\u00a0rolled and filled with a mixture of simple, traditional ingredients\u00a0(carne, frijoles, queso)<\/em> and covered in a chili pepper sauce referred to as salsa de enchilada<\/em>\u00a0(enchilada sauce).<\/p>\n

6. Tamal<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014 A traditional Mexican plato fuerte<\/em>\u00a0(main course) consisting of seasoned carne <\/em>and\/or frijoles <\/em>wrapped in dough made from harina de ma\u00edz<\/em>\u00a0and baked or steamed in corn husks.<\/p>\n

7. Guacamole<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014 Mashed or pureed aguacate<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(avocado) mixture with tomates<\/em> (tomatoes), cebollas<\/em> (onions), cilantro<\/em>, pimientos<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(peppers) and various seasonings, usually served as a dip or topping.<\/p>\n

8. Salsa<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 A spicy sauce\/dip mixture made with tomatoes, cebollas, pimientos<\/em>\u00a0and cilantro<\/em>.<\/p>\n

9. Tequila<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 A strong Mexican liquor made from agave azul<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(blue agave).<\/p>\n

10. C<\/strong>erveza<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014\u00a0Beer<\/p>\n

11. Margarita<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014 A c\u00f3ctel<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(cocktail beverage) made with tequila, el triple seco<\/em> (triple sec), lima<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(lime) or lim\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(lemon juice), and served in a glass topped with sal<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(salt) or az\u00facar<\/em>\u00a0(sugar). Just keep in mind that many people refer to both lime and lemon as lim\u00f3n!<\/em><\/p>\n

Even if you already knew these words, at least now you can practice naming their ingredients in Spanish and pronouncing them like a native!<\/p>\n

La historia<\/em> (History)<\/h3>\n

Remember that Cinco de Mayo is not just an excuse to party, but has a real rooting in Mexican history and culture<\/a>. Here are some words you can use to discuss the history of the holiday:<\/p>\n

12. La batalla<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Battle<\/p>\n

13. La guerra<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 War<\/p>\n

14. La bandera<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Flag<\/p>\n

15. Rojo<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Red (one of the three colors of the Mexican flag)<\/p>\n

16. Blanco<\/strong><\/em> <\/i><\/b>\u2014 White (one of the three colors of the Mexican flag)<\/p>\n

17. Verde<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Green (one of the three colors of the Mexican flag)<\/p>\n

18. Cinco<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 Five. This is the start of a little breakdown of the holiday’s name, in case you are wondering about these words. Many Latin American holidays are called by their dates, much like the 4th of July is in the United States. However, in Spanish we don’t use ordinal numbers<\/a> for dates, so we’d say “el 4 de julio”<\/em> to refer to the 4th of July.<\/p>\n

19. De<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Of<\/p>\n

20. Mayo<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 May<\/p>\n

21. Mil ochocientos sesenta y dos<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>\u2014 1862, which was the year of the Battle of Puebla.<\/p>\n

22. Puebla<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 The city in Mexico where the 1862 battle took place.<\/p>\n

23. El D\u00eda de la Batalla de Puebla<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014<\/em> The day of the Battle of Puebla.<\/p>\n

24. El soldado<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Soldier<\/p>\n

25. El<\/strong><\/em> D\u00eda de la Independencia<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Independence Day. People often confuse Cinco de Mayo with Mexican Independence Day, which is actually celebrated on September 16th.<\/p>\n

La fiesta<\/em> (Party)<\/h3>\n

Here are some vocabulary words that may come in handy at your next Cinco de Mayo fiesta:<\/em><\/p>\n

26. La celebraci\u00f3n<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014\u00a0Celebration<\/p>\n

27. El baile folkl\u00f3rico<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014\u00a0Folkloric dance<\/p>\n

28. La m\u00fasica<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Music<\/p>\n

29. La pista de baile<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 Dancefloor\u00a0<\/p>\n

30. Las decoraciones<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 Decorations<\/p>\n

31. El traje de charro<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014<\/em> Traditional Mexican dress or suit, often worn by Mariachi bands. This is based on the clothing of a type of horseman called el charro<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

32. El<\/strong><\/em> Mariachi<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014\u00a0A Mexican folk band<\/a> of at least five musicians who typically dress in charro<\/em> suits and play guitar, trumpet, violin and vihuela<\/a>.<\/p>\n

33. Las m<\/strong>aracas<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Mexican rattles that make noise when shaken.<\/p>\n

34. La p<\/strong>i\u00f1ata<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 A paper mache decoration filled with candy and hit with a stick to break open.<\/p>\n

35. La m<\/strong>atraca<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Wooden Mexican noisemaker instrument<\/p>\n

36. El sombrero<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 Traditional Mexican hat<\/p>\n

37. El d<\/strong>esfile<\/strong><\/em> \u2014 Parade<\/p>\n

38. Las soldaderas<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 Military women of the Mexican revolution, typically represented in Cinco de Mayo parades by women wearing skirts and flowery hats.<\/p>\n

39. Los fuegos artificiales<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Fireworks<\/p>\n

40.El anfitri\u00f3n<\/em>\/la anfitriona \u2014 <\/em><\/strong>Host, as in the host of the party. Be sure to thank them!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check out this post for more Mexican party slang and expressions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why Learn Cinco de Mayo Vocabulary?<\/h2>\n

You might be asking yourself, \u201cWhy do I need to learn vocabulary to drink margaritas<\/a>, eat yummy Mexican food and listen to mariachi bands?\u201d Sure, you don\u2019t need<\/em> any Spanish vocab to sit back and passively enjoy the festivities, but there are many reasons to brush up on your Cinco de Mayo vocabulary before the celebration starts.<\/p>\n

First of all, as a Spanish language learner, it’s important to take advantage of any and all fun opportunities to use the language and improve your speaking skills outside of a classroom environment. What better time to practice your conversation skills than a Cinco de Mayo celebration? Or you can use the vocabulary to talk to a Spanish speaker about their perspective and experience of the holiday.<\/p>\n

Secondly, learning holiday vocabulary<\/a> can help improve your overall understanding of Mexican history and culture<\/a>. In order to truly master a language, you need a good grasp of the culture upon which it stands. The more you can learn about Hispanic culture, the better your Spanish will be. You can do both on FluentU<\/a>, where videos of native Spanish speakers are presented in conjunction with learning tools. It’s an immersive way to study the language and culture in one.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

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