Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Napkin in Spanish: How to Say Servilleta at the Table
Servilleta · noun (feminine) · sehr-bee-YEH-tah
Napkin in Spanish is servilleta, a feminine noun (la servilleta). A paper napkin is una servilleta de papel and a cloth one is una servilleta de tela.
Servilleta is sehr-bee-YEH-tah, with the ll sounding like a y in most regions.
¿Me pasas una servilleta, por favor?
Can you pass me a napkin, please?
Napkin in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for napkin, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| servilleta | napkin | sehr-bee-YEH-tah | Default, widely understood |
| servilleta de papel | napkin | paper napkin | |
| servilleta de tela | napkin | cloth napkin |
How Native Speakers Use Servilleta
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking for one
¿Me pasas una servilleta, por favor?
Can you pass me a napkin, please?
A polite table request you'll use constantly at meals.
Setting the table
Puse servilletas de tela para la cena especial.
I set out cloth napkins for the special dinner.
Servilletas de tela are the dressier, reusable kind.
Everyday use
El niño se limpió la boca con la servilleta.
The boy wiped his mouth with the napkin.
Limpiarse la boca con la servilleta is a typical phrase.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Servilleta
Confusing servilleta with toalla
Incorrect: Necesito una toalla para la mesa.
Correct: Necesito una servilleta para la mesa.
Toalla is a towel for drying hands or the body, while servilleta is the small napkin used at meals, so swapping them sounds odd at the dinner table.
Wrong gender article
Incorrect: el servilleta
Correct: la servilleta
Servilleta ends in -a and is feminine, so it takes la and una, never el or un.
Lock in Napkin Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
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See Servilleta used by native speakers
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Common Questions About Napkin in Spanish
- How do you say napkin in Spanish?
- Napkin in Spanish is servilleta (sehr-bee-YEH-tah), a feminine noun, with the paper kind being servilleta de papel and the cloth kind servilleta de tela.
- Is there a separate word for paper napkins?
- There is no separate word, so you specify the material: servilleta de papel for paper and servilleta de tela for cloth, keeping the base noun servilleta in both.
- What is a napkin holder called in Spanish?
- A napkin holder is a servilletero (sehr-bee-yeh-TEH-roh), a masculine noun built from servilleta that you'll spot on most restaurant tables.