receta
nounCEFR B1
What does “receta” mean in English?
1.recipe
recipe (culinary instructions for preparing a dish) — seguir una receta, la receta de la abuela
2.prescription
prescription (medical document authorising medication) — receta médica, necesitar receta para comprar el medicamento
Example sentences
Esta receta lleva pocos ingredientes, pero hay que respetar exactamente los tiempos para que el resultado sea el esperado.
This recipe uses few ingredients, but you need to follow the timings exactly for the result to be what is expected.
He buscado varias recetas en internet y al final he decidido combinar dos para adaptar el plato a lo que tengo en casa.
I have looked up several recipes online and in the end I have decided to combine two of them to adapt the dish to what I have at home.
How to use it
Receta is a polysemous noun meaning either 'recipe' (culinary instructions) or 'prescription' (medical document). In a food-and-cooking context the culinary sense always applies, but learners should be aware of the overlap. Common collocates: seguir una receta (to follow a recipe), la receta lleva... (the recipe contains...), receta de la abuela (traditional recipe), receta sin gluten.
Common mistake
Receta covers both 'recipe' and 'medical prescription'. In a pharmacy context, receta médica is the safe disambiguating phrase. In a kitchen context the culinary sense is automatic. Do not use recetario (a recipe book) in place of receta; recetario is the whole collection, receta is the individual dish.