Measure + de + food
To say how much of something you want, put the measure first, then de, then the food with no article: un kilo de tomates, un litro de leche, cien gramos de queso.
| measure | example | in English |
|---|
| el gramo | doscientos gramos de queso | 200 grams of cheese |
| el kilo | un kilo de naranjas | a kilo of oranges |
| el litro | un litro de leche | a liter of milk |
| la docena | una docena de huevos | a dozen eggs |
| la lata | una lata de atún | a tin of tuna |
| la barra | una barra de pan | a baguette |
Half: medio and la mitad
In front of a measure, half a is simply medio or media — never un medio: medio kilo, medio litro, media docena. On its own, the half is la mitad, followed by de.
A common mistake is to copy English half of: Spanish says la mitad de la clase, with la, but medio kilo, with nothing in front.
Pieces and parts
Un trozo is a piece cut or broken off something — of bread, cheese or tortilla. La parte is a part of a whole: of a city, of a house, of the money.
La barra and la lista
In Spain, bread is bought by the barra — the long loaf you might call a baguette. In a bar, la barra is the counter: a coffee en la barra is quick, and often cheaper than at a table. Before you go to the shops, write una lista; the shopping list is la lista de la compra.
