Quick answer
Tengo un perro y dos gatos.
I have a dog and two cats. Note that Spanish uses tener for owning a pet, exactly like English "have".
The words
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el animal | the animal |
| el perro | the dog |
| el gato | the cat |
| el pájaro | the bird |
| el pez | the fish |
| el caballo | the horse |
| la vaca | the cow |
| la oveja | the sheep |
| el cerdo | the pig |
| el conejo | the rabbit |
| el ratón | the mouse |
| la araña | the spider |
| la abeja | the bee |
| la mascota | the pet |
| la cola | the tail |
The phrases you will actually say
Worth knowing
El pez is a live fish swimming; once it is on your plate it becomes el pescado, literally the fished one, and mixing the two is a classic learner slip in a restaurant. Animal names have a default gender that you override for the female, so el gato becomes la gata and el perro becomes la perra — though be careful, because perra carries the same insult as in English. Spaniards fold animals into everyday idioms constantly: ser un gallina is to be a coward, estar como una cabra means to be completely mad, and tener un humor de perros describes a foul mood.
Practice
Practise your animals and pets words
0/8 matched — tap a Spanish word, then its translation
Check yourself
Which word do you use for fish on a restaurant menu?