The c and z that sound like s in Spanish

1. 1
   almuerzo/alˈmweɾso/

   lunchnoun

   A meal eaten at midday.
2. 2
   cena/ˈsena/

   dinnernoun

   A meal eaten in the evening.
3. 3
   cerveza/seɾˈbesa/

   beernoun

   An alcoholic drink made from barley that foams when poured.
4. 4
   cebolla/seˈboʝa/

   onionnoun

   A round vegetable with white layers that makes you cry when you cut it.
5. 5
   zanahoria/sanaˈoɾja/

   carrotnoun

   A long orange vegetable that grows underground.
6. 6
   cocina/koˈsina/

   cuisinenoun

   The way of preparing dishes typical of a country or region.
7. 7
   dulce/ˈdulse/

   sweetadjective

   Tasting like sugar.
8. 8
   cerca/ˈseɾka/

   nearbyadverb

   A short distance from where you are.
9. 9
   cerrar/seˈraɾ/

   to closeverb

   To put something so that it's no longer open.
10. 10
    comenzar/komenˈsaɾ/

    to beginverb

    To do the first part of something, to start it.

The sentences

1. ¿Qué tienen para el almuerzo de hoy, señora?

   What do you have for lunch today, ma'am?

2. ¿Sirven cena aquí o solo comida corrida?

   Do you serve dinner here, or just the set lunch menu?

3. ¿Me trae una cerveza bien fría, por favor?

   Can I get a nice cold beer, please?

4. ¿Le puede poner poca cebolla a mi plato?

   Could you put just a little onion on my plate?

5. La sopa lleva zanahoria y papa, ¿verdad?

   The soup has carrot and potato, right?

6. Me gusta mucho la cocina de esta región.

   I really like the cuisine of this region.

7. Este postre está muy dulce para mi gusto.

   This dessert is too sweet for my taste.

8. ¿Sabes si hay un cajero cerca de aquí?

   Do you know if there's an ATM nearby?

9. ¿A qué hora van a cerrar hoy?

   What time are you closing today?

10. Quiero comenzar con la sopa del día, por favor.

    I'd like to start with the soup of the day, please.

Pronunciation

• almuerzo/alˈmweɾso/

  -mue- is one syllable and that's where the stress falls: al-MUER-zo; the z sounds like an s.

• cerveza/seɾˈbesa/

  The v sounds just like a b, and the stress falls on the middle syllable: cer-VE-za.

• cebolla/seˈboʝa/

  The double l sounds like a y: se-BO-ya.

• zanahoria/sanaˈoɾja/

  The h is silent and the stress falls right there: sa-na-O-ria; -ria goes together, in a single syllable.

• cerrar/seˈraɾ/

  The rr vibrates long and strong, and the stress falls at the end: ce-RRAR.

• comenzar/komenˈsaɾ/

  The stress falls on the last syllable: co-men-ZAR, with the z sounding like an s.

Questions

How do you say 'lunch' in Spanish?

In this scene you'd say almuerzo, as in '¿Qué tienen para el almuerzo de hoy, señora?'

What does cocina mean here?

Cocina means the style of cooking typical of a country or region, as in 'Me gusta mucho la cocina de esta región.'

How do you ask if something is nearby?

You can ask '¿Sabes si hay un cajero cerca de aquí?', using cerca for nearby.