The Desserts They Don’t Eat Them In Spanish | Fix The Grammar

A natural Spanish version is: “No se los comen de postre.”

If you typed “The Desserts They Don’t Eat Them In Spanish” into a translator and got a weird result, you’re not alone. That English line mixes two ideas: desserts (as a category) and “them” (a specific set of items). Spanish can say both, but it won’t copy the English word order.

This article gives you clean Spanish options for the sentence, plus a simple way to choose the right one based on what you meant. You’ll also learn why “them” often disappears in Spanish, when it must stay, and how to place pronouns without guessing.

What you probably meant in English

That English sentence can mean at least four different things. Spanish changes depending on which one you mean, so the first step is to lock the meaning.

Meaning 1: They don’t eat dessert at all

This is about the habit. Dessert is treated like a general category, not a set of items on the table.

Meaning 2: They don’t eat desserts as a category

This is similar, but it puts the spotlight on desserts as “sweet dishes” in general, like cakes, puddings, pastries, ice cream.

Meaning 3: They don’t eat those desserts (the ones in front of them)

This is specific. There are desserts present, and “them” points to those items. Spanish often uses a direct-object pronoun here (los/las), or it can restate the noun.

Meaning 4: They don’t eat them as dessert

This one is quirky in English but real in daily speech. It means they might eat those items, but not as the final course. Spanish often uses “de postre” to express “for dessert.”

The Desserts They Don’t Eat Them In Spanish: Correct Spanish Options

Here are natural translations, grouped by meaning. Pick the one that matches what you meant, not the one that matches the English word order.

Option set A: When you mean “They don’t eat dessert”

• No comen postre. (Neutral, everyday.)
• Ellos no comen postre. (Adds “they” for contrast, like “they don’t, but we do.”)
• No toman postre. (Common in many places; “take” dessert.)

In Spanish, “postre” can be a general idea, not just a single sweet item. The Real Academia Española defines “postre” as food served at the end of a meal, often fruit or something sweet, which fits this sense.

Option set B: When you mean “They don’t eat desserts”

• No comen postres. (Plural desserts as a category.)
• No comen cosas dulces de postre. (Adds clarity: sweets as dessert.)

This set works well when you’re talking about preference, diet choices, or routine. It’s not about one plate. It’s about the type of food.

Option set C: When you mean “They don’t eat them” (specific desserts)

• No se los comen. (They don’t eat them.)
• No los comen. (They don’t eat them.)
• No se comen los postres. (They don’t eat the desserts.)
• Esos postres no se los comen. (Those desserts, they don’t eat them.)

Spanish uses object pronouns a lot, but it also drops them when the noun is already clear. So you’ll hear both “No los comen” and “No comen los postres,” depending on what the speaker is pointing at.

If you want a clean, neutral verb, “comer” is the default “to eat.” The RAE entry for “comer” covers the core meaning: ingesting food, which is what you want in most cases.

Option set D: When you mean “They don’t eat them as dessert”

• No se los comen de postre. (They don’t eat them for dessert.)
• Eso no se lo comen de postre. (That, they don’t eat it for dessert.)
• De postre no se los comen. (For dessert, they don’t eat them.)

“De postre” works like “as dessert/for dessert.” This is the best match when you’re correcting someone’s assumption about when the food is eaten, not whether it’s eaten at all.

Why “them” can sound strange in Spanish

English often keeps “them” even when the object is already obvious. Spanish can do that, but it often sounds heavier than needed. Many Spanish sentences prefer one clear object marker, not two.

Spanish prefers clarity over echo

Compare these two ideas:

• No comen postre. (No “them,” because there isn’t a specific “them.”)
• No se los comen. (There is a specific group of items, so “los” points to them.)

If you say “No comen postre” and then add “los,” you’re mixing “category” with “specific items.” That’s the root of the awkwardness.

When you do need “los/las”

Use “los/las” when the listener can identify the exact desserts you mean, such as:

• They’re on the table.
• You mentioned them in the previous sentence.
• You point to a photo, menu, or list.

When “se” appears

You’ll often see “se” in sentences like “No se los comen.” In many cases, it signals “comerse,” a common pronominal form used for eating something up, eating it fully, or just speaking naturally about eating an item. You’ll also see “se” when a second pronoun joins the sentence (like “se lo,” “se los”), and Spanish follows strict ordering rules for clitic pronouns.

Pronoun basics that stop the guesswork

If pronouns are the part that trips you, here’s the clean mental model.

Step 1: Find the thing being eaten

Ask: “What are they eating?” That thing is the direct object.

• los postres → los
• las galletas → las
• el pastel → lo
• la tarta → la

Step 2: Decide if there’s an indirect object

Sometimes you also have “to someone” or “for someone.” That’s the indirect object (le/les). This appears more with verbs like “dar” (give) than with “comer,” but it can show up with food in real talk (“Se lo doy” = “I give it to him/her”).

Step 3: Follow the pronoun order

Spanish uses a fixed order for clitic pronouns. The RAE’s entry on pronombres personales átonos lays out the forms and how they attach to verbs. For deeper syntax, the RAE grammar page on secuencias de pronombres átonos describes the strict sequence in combinations like “se lo,” “me las,” and “te los.”

Common fixes for the sentence you started with

These are the edits people usually need when they begin with the English structure and try to force it into Spanish.

Fix 1: Swap noun-first English order for Spanish verb-first flow

English often starts with the noun phrase (“The desserts…”) then adds a clause (“they don’t eat them…”). Spanish can do that, but it often sounds smoother with the verb early:

• English-like: Esos postres, no se los comen.
• Smoother: No se comen esos postres.

Fix 2: Match “postre” vs “postres” to your meaning

Use singular when you mean dessert as the course: “No comen postre.” Use plural when you mean desserts as items or categories: “No comen postres.”

Fix 3: Don’t force “them” when there’s no clear “them”

If the sentence is about habit, drop the object pronoun. “No comen postre” says it cleanly. If the sentence is about specific items, keep it: “No se los comen.”

Fix 4: Use “de postre” only when timing is the point

If the point is “not as dessert,” then “de postre” belongs in the sentence. If the point is “they don’t eat dessert,” “de postre” is extra and can blur the meaning.

Translation choices table for real situations

Use this table as your pick-list. Match your meaning, then copy the Spanish line.

What you mean	Natural Spanish	When it fits
They don’t eat dessert	No comen postre.	Habit, routine, a rule after meals
They don’t eat desserts	No comen postres.	Talking about sweets as a category
They don’t eat those desserts	No se comen esos postres.	Specific items are visible or already mentioned
They don’t eat them	No se los comen.	You already said “los postres” and now refer back
Those desserts, they don’t eat them	Esos postres no se los comen.	Contrast, emphasis, pointing at a set
They don’t eat them for dessert	No se los comen de postre.	The timing/course is the main point
For dessert, they don’t eat them	De postre no se los comen.	You want “for dessert” up front for emphasis
They don’t have dessert	No toman postre.	Common phrasing in many regions

How to build your own version in 20 seconds

If you want to create the right Spanish sentence on the fly, use this quick build method.

Step 1: Choose the base meaning

• If it’s a habit: start with No comen postre or No comen postres.
• If it’s specific items: start with No se comen… plus the noun, or use No se los comen if the noun is already known.

Step 2: Add “de postre” only when you mean “as dessert”

Place it at the end for a natural feel: “No se los comen de postre.” Put it first when you want contrast: “De postre no se los comen.”

Step 3: Add “ellos/ellas” only when you’re contrasting people

Spanish often drops subject pronouns. Add them when the contrast is the point: “Ellos no comen postre, pero nosotros sí.”

Pronoun placement that stays consistent

Pronouns can go before a conjugated verb, or attached to an infinitive/gerund/affirmative command. If you stick to one pattern, your sentences stop feeling random. The RAE notes this flexibility in its usage guidance on the position of unstressed pronouns, and the Centro Virtual Cervantes Plan Curricular lists pronoun use in learner levels, including direct-object substitution patterns like “Lo vi.” See the Cervantes grammar inventory section on pronombres personales de OD.

Before the verb

• No los comen.
• No se los comen.

Attached to an infinitive

• No van a comérselos.
• No quieren comerlos.

Attached to a gerund

• Están comiéndoselos.
• Están comiéndolos.

Pronoun combo table for “se lo / se los” cases

This table keeps the most common combinations in one place so you can copy the pattern.

What you want to say	Pronoun form	One clean model
Eat it	lo / la	No lo comen.
Eat them	los / las	No los comen.
Eat it up	se + lo / la	No se lo comen.
Eat them up	se + los / las	No se los comen.
Give it to him/her	se + lo / la	Se lo doy.
Give them to him/her	se + los / las	Se los doy.

A clean set of ready-to-paste translations

Pick the one that matches your context and paste it as-is.

• No comen postre.
• No comen postres.
• No se comen esos postres.
• No se los comen.
• No se los comen de postre.

If you’re writing a caption, a comment, or a short dialogue line, these will read like native Spanish with no extra padding. If you’re writing a longer paragraph, use the same logic: decide whether dessert is a habit (no “them”) or a visible set (use “los/las”).