B2 · 50 words
Farming and food in Spanish
Growing, origin, labels — what sits behind the price on the shelf.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
Spanish names a farm by its water, and does it in one word each. El regadío is land that is watered — regar is to water — and el secano is land that is not, from seco, dry. They are nouns and not descriptions: a farmer says tengo secano the way somebody else says « I have twenty acres ». English has to explain both, « irrigated land » and « dry farming », and the difference matters more than a phrase suggests — on secano the harvest is whatever the year's rain allows, and the two words divide Spanish agriculture in half.
The words
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Phrase (25)
la parcela agrícolathe fieldPhraseB2
La parcela agrícola es de media hectárea.The field is half a hectare.
el rendimiento por hectáreathe yield per hectarePhraseB2
El rendimiento por hectárea bajó dos años seguidos.The yield per hectare fell two years running.
el residuo en el alimentothe trace left in what is eatenPhraseB2
El residuo en el alimento estaba por debajo del límite.The trace left in what is eaten was below the limit.
el límite máximothe maximum allowedPhraseB2
El límite máximo se revisa cada año.The maximum allowed is reviewed every year.
la denominación de origenthe protected name of originPhraseB2
La denominación de origen exige una zona concreta.The protected name of origin requires one particular area.
la indicación geográfica protegidathe geographical markPhraseB2
Tiene indicación geográfica protegida desde 2004.It has carried the geographical mark since 2004.
la agricultura ecológicaorganic farmingPhraseB2
La agricultura ecológica se certifica cada año.Organic farming is certified every year.
la fecha de envasadothe day it was packedPhraseB2
La fecha de envasado va en la tapa.The day it was packed is printed on the lid.
el consumo preferentethe best-before datePhraseB2
El consumo preferente se puede pasar sin riesgo.The best-before date can be passed safely.
el desperdicio alimentariothe food thrown awayPhraseB2
El desperdicio alimentario ocurre sobre todo en casa.Food thrown away happens mostly at home.
la cadena de fríothe cold chainPhraseB2
La cadena de frío se rompió en el camión.The cold chain was broken in the lorry.
el bienestar animalthe welfare of animalsPhraseB2
El bienestar animal entró en la norma europea.The welfare of animals went into the European rules.
la cooperativa agrariathe farmers' cooperativePhraseB2
La cooperativa agraria negocia el precio.The farmers' cooperative negotiates the price.
el precio en origenthe price paid to the growerPhraseB2
El precio en origen es una quinta parte del final.The price paid to the grower is a fifth of the final one.
la venta directathe selling directPhraseB2
La venta directa deja más al agricultor.Selling direct leaves the farmer more.
el mercado de abastosthe covered marketPhraseB2
El mercado de abastos abre por la mañana.The covered market opens in the morning.
el producto de temporadathe seasonal producePhraseB2
El producto de temporada sabe distinto.Seasonal produce tastes different.
la soberanía alimentariathe right to decide what is grownPhraseB2
La soberanía alimentaria volvió al debate.The right to decide what is grown came back into the debate.
la dieta equilibradathe balanced dietPhraseB2
La dieta equilibrada no necesita productos caros.A balanced diet needs no expensive products.
el valor nutricionalthe nutritional valuePhraseB2
El valor nutricional está en la tabla.The nutritional value is in the table.
la intolerancia alimentariathe intolerance to a foodPhraseB2
La intolerancia alimentaria se diagnostica mal.Intolerance to a food is badly diagnosed.
la alergia al glutenthe gluten allergyPhraseB2
La alergia al gluten obliga a leer todo.A gluten allergy forces you to read everything.
el consumo de proximidadbuying from close byPhraseB2
El consumo de proximidad ahorra transporte.Buying from close by saves transport.
el relevo generacionalthe handing on to the next generationPhraseB2
Falta relevo generacional en el campo.There is nobody to hand the farms on to.
la política agraria comúnthe common farm policyPhraseB2
La política agraria común reparte las ayudas.The common farm policy shares out the subsidies.
Noun (f) (11)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
la agriculturathe farmingNoun (f)B2
La agricultura emplea a poca gente y ocupa mucho suelo.Farming employs few people and takes up a great deal of ground.
la ganaderíathe raising of livestockNoun (f)B2
La ganadería extensiva mantiene el paisaje.The raising of livestock on open land keeps the landscape up.
la hectáreathe hectareNoun (f)B2
Trabajan cuarenta hectáreas.They work forty hectares.
la siembrathe sowingNoun (f)B2
La siembra se adelantó por el calor.The sowing was brought forward by the heat.
la podathe pruningNoun (f)B2
La poda se hace en enero.The pruning is done in January.
la vendimiathe grape harvestNoun (f)B2
La vendimia dura tres semanas.The grape harvest lasts three weeks.
la laderathe hillsideNoun (f)B2
La ladera se erosiona sin cubierta.The hillside erodes with nothing growing on it.
la trazabilidadthe traceabilityNoun (f)B2
La trazabilidad llega hasta la parcela.Traceability reaches back to the field.
la certificaciónthe certificationNoun (f)B2
La certificación cuesta y da acceso al mercado.Certification costs money and opens the market.
la huertathe market gardenNoun (f)B2
La huerta abastece a la ciudad entera.The market garden supplies the whole city.
la despoblaciónthe emptying of the countrysideNoun (f)B2
La despoblación cerró la escuela.The emptying of the countryside closed the school.
Noun (m) (14)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
el cultivothe growing of a cropNoun (m)B2
El cultivo de regadío consume mucha agua.Growing a crop under irrigation uses a lot of water.
el regadíothe irrigated landNoun (m)B2
El regadío se amplió en los noventa.The irrigated land was extended in the nineties.
el secanothe dry farmingNoun (m)B2
El secano depende entero de la lluvia.Dry farming depends entirely on the rain.
el invernaderothe greenhouseNoun (m)B2
El invernadero adelanta la cosecha dos meses.The greenhouse brings the harvest forward two months.
el olivarthe olive groveNoun (m)B2
El olivar tiene doscientos años.The olive grove is two hundred years old.
el viñedothe vineyardNoun (m)B2
El viñedo está en ladera.The vineyard is on a slope.
el fertilizantethe fertiliserNoun (m)B2
El fertilizante subió de precio.The fertiliser went up in price.
el pesticidathe pesticideNoun (m)B2
El pesticida está prohibido desde 2019.The pesticide has been banned since 2019.
el etiquetadothe labellingNoun (m)B2
El etiquetado debe decir el país de origen.The labelling must give the country of origin.
el mataderothe abattoirNoun (m)B2
El matadero está a treinta kilómetros.The abattoir is thirty kilometres away.
el piensothe animal feedNoun (m)B2
El pienso viene de fuera.The animal feed comes from outside.
el intermediariothe middlemanNoun (m)B2
Cada intermediario suma un margen.Every middleman adds a margin.
el ultraprocesadothe heavily processed foodNoun (m)B2
El ultraprocesado sale barato y llena poco.Heavily processed food is cheap and fills you little.
el aditivothe additiveNoun (m)B2
El aditivo aparece con un número.The additive appears as a number.
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
This list belongs to Farming and food production — 14 lists and 700 words that can also be practised as a whole.