Is "la alcachofa" correct?

March 21, 2012 2:14 PM

Dumbest question I've ever asked here, but: Spanish for artichoke? Is "la alcachofa" correct?

My dad is a native speaker but he doesn't have much occasion to say "artichoke," and he says he's not 100% sure. I don't trust Google, necessarily. So before I write it in ink on a Loteria card I'm making, please assure me this is correct.

posted by fiercecupcake to writing & language (10 answers total)

Wordreference agrees.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:15 PM on March 21, 2012

(Though it also provides synonyms.)
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:16 PM on March 21, 2012

It means "the artichoke." If you want just "artichoke," drop the "la."
posted by AwkwardPause at 2:24 PM on March 21, 2012

My Spanish-English dictionary also agrees with your dad.
posted by runningwithscissors at 2:29 PM on March 21, 2012

Alachofa is correct Mexican usage for artichoke.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:45 PM on March 21, 2012

By the way, very cool that you're making your own Loteria cards!
posted by eralclare at 2:59 PM on March 21, 2012

Yes, alcachofa is correct.
posted by clearlydemon at 3:03 PM on March 21, 2012

Yes, for the majority of the Spanish-speaking world that is correct, but (just to toss in the monkey wrench of dialectal diversity) in Argentina, where I learned my Spanish, it's alcaucil.
posted by languagehat at 3:40 PM on March 21, 2012

Neruda agrees with you. Here's his Oda a la Alcachofa in the original, in translation, and read aloud.
posted by Signed Sealed Delivered at 4:26 PM on March 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Thanks, folks. Especially appreciated was the Neruda poem -- lovely.

Self-link: here's the finished card, for anyone who cares to see what silliness this was put to.
posted by fiercecupcake at 2:32 PM on March 22, 2012