Se me antojó is better than “I want” when the food idea arrives like destiny. It means the craving hit. Se me antoja is the current feeling. Se me antojaron tacos can quietly become a plan.
Mexican food Spanish is full of social gravity. A craving pulls people.
The craving phrase map
| Feeling | Say this |
|---|---|
| I am craving | Se me antoja… |
| I got a craving | Se me antojó… |
| I crave tacos | Se me antojaron tacos |
| Snack | Botana |
| Snack around | Botanear |
| Casual foods | Antojitos |
Antojo is craving or whim,1 and antojar is the verb behind it.2 The Diccionario del español de México gives wonderfully food-shaped examples like having a craving for pozole, which is much closer to the way learners will hear it.3
Cravings become invitations
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Se me antojaron unos tacos, ¿jalas?I got a craving for tacos, are you in?
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Se me antoja algo dulce.I feel like something sweet.
Taco is safely in the dictionary,4 but the feeling around it is bigger than the entry. Eat Mexico’s culinary phrase guide is a useful local companion here because cravings in CDMX usually become street-food decisions, not abstract vocabulary drills.5
Botanear and antojitos
Botana is snack,6 and botanear is the social action of snacking.
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Light snacks | Botanear algo |
| Casual food | Antojitos |
| Appetite | Traigo antojo |
| No big meal | Solo algo tranqui |
Apetito is appetite,7 but antojo sounds more like the taco chose you personally.
A useful invite
-
Se me antojó algo, ¿vamos por unos tacos?I got a craving for something, want to go get tacos?
Low pressure. High probability.
Sources
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Diccionario de la lengua española, antojo — Real Academia Española ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, antojar — Real Academia Española ↩
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Diccionario del español de México, antojo — El Colegio de México ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, taco — Real Academia Española ↩
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Eat Mexico, Spanish phrases for Mexico City’s culinary scene — Eat Mexico ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, botana — Real Academia Española ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, apetito — Real Academia Española ↩
Test yourself
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Se me antojaron tacos means...
Antojitos are usually...
How do you invite someone from a craving?
