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tuna and Spanish tuna
In English
tuna
the fish (canned or fresh)
In Spanish
tuna
fruta
Spanish "tuna" means: prickly pear
Why they get mixed up Spanish "tuna" is the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, a sweet red fruit. English "tuna" is the ocean fish, often sold canned. Same sound, a completely different object depending on the language.
If you want to say...
- tunaatún
- prickly peartuna (fruta del nopal)
- canned tunaatún enlatado
Examples
I made a tuna sandwich.
Hice un sándwich de atún.
A can of tuna.
Una lata de atún.
We had tuna salad for lunch.
Comimos ensalada de atún en el almuerzo.
Fresh tuna is popular in sushi.
El atún fresco es popular en el sushi.
Common mistakes in Spanish
Incorrect: Compré una lata de tuna para el sándwich.
Correct: Compré una lata de atún para el sándwich.
Tuna is not Spanish for the fish. Use atún.
Incorrect: La tuna es un pescado muy popular en el sushi.
Correct: El atún es un pescado muy popular en el sushi.
In Spanish, tuna is the fruit of the nopal cactus.
Phrases you will hear
- tuna saladensalada de atún
- canned tunaatún enlatado
- a tuna sandwichun sándwich de atún
- fresh tunaatún fresco
- prickly peartuna (fruta del nopal)
- cactus fruitfruta del cactus
In a conversation
- A:
I made a tuna sandwich.
Hice un sándwich de atún.
- B:
With canned tuna?
¿Con atún enlatado?
- A:
Yes. And for dessert, prickly pear.
Sí. Y de postre, tunas.
- B:
In Spanish, that's called tuna. In English, tuna is the fish.
En español eso se llama tuna. En inglés, tuna es el pescado.
Test yourself
"A tuna salad" is a salad with...
To remember it
Tuna = the fish. The cactus fruit (Spanish "tuna") = prickly pear.
Frequently asked questions
What does Spanish "tuna" mean?
Spanish "tuna" means "prickly pear". It looks like the English "tuna", which is exactly why it gets confused, but "tuna" means "the fish (canned or fresh)".
Does English "tuna" mean the same as Spanish "tuna"?
Spanish "tuna" is the fruit of the prickly pear cactus, a sweet red fruit. English "tuna" is the ocean fish, often sold canned. Same sound, a completely different object depending on the language.