Cup and saucer

[Desmond]

This is Taza y plato
Plato is a plate
and Platillo is a small plate. I would have thought it would be Platillo but a saucer is a special type of plate designed for a cup. This could be confusing in a restaurante if it wasn't clear which type of plate.

[Rusty]

Context determines meaning in every case.

Saucer, in Spanish, is usually said platillo, which differs from the much larger plato and the platito, which is smaller than a plato.

[Nogaluz]

Wrong. Platillo is not a small plate. Patillo is a dish (food). Platito is a small plate, but in spanish is not common said platito. We have "plato hondo" for a soup, "plato extendido" big plate for a dish, "plato de ensalada" medium plate, "plato de te, plato cafetero or plato pequeño" is a saucer (tea plate), we have "platón" its a charger plates or service plates or its in the middle of te table with fruit, bread or something.

[poli]

Plato cafetero sounds like the perfect word, but honestly, I have most often heard platillo in common speech among Latin Americans I've known.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Nogaluz: Let's nuance a little our statements. "Platillo" is a diminutive in some other regions, so it can also be a small plate, not only a cooked/served dish, as it is in Mexico.

[David Matt]

"Platillo" means cymbal. Crash, ride, hi-hat cymbal, orchestral cymbals... It doesn't matter, we spanish use "platillo" for all.
Trust me, I'm an expert: I'm a drummer!!!

[poli]

Originally Posted by David Matt

"Platillo" means cymbal. Crash, ride, hi-hat cymbal, orchestral cymbals... It doesn't matter, we spanish use "platillo" for all.
Trust me, I'm an expert: I'm a drummer!!!

¿Entonces, en España, un un plato cafetero es el término más común para los pequeños platos que acompañan las tazas?

[David Matt]

En España se utiliza "plato de café". No he oído nunca "plato cafetero", pero a lo mejor se dice así en otra zona de España o en Latinoamérica.

De todas formas la acepción "platillo" sí está aceptada para plato pequeño, aunque no se utilice, al igual que platito: http://lema.rae.es/drae/srv/search?i...YWSDXX2vFcWdHt


Ahora que lo pienso, puede que la confusión venga por las cucharas. La "cuchara" es la que se usa para comer la sopa, y "cucharilla" es la pequeña que suele usarse para un postre o un yogur. Además, la cucharilla más pequeña que se usa para el café se llama "cucharilla de café".

[Sancho Panther]

All of this is nothing more than a storm in a teacup!