Animals are part of the most useful vocabulary of Spanish. They appear in the home, on the street, in the countryside, in the zoo and in stories. Some names are used daily, such as perro and gato; others are used to talk about nature, such as león or ballena. There are also words for small animals, domestic animals, and wild animals. With this group of words you can describe what lives near people, what runs through the forest, and what swims in the sea.

In many homes there are perro, gato, conejo, pájaro and pez. The perro lives with people and usually goes for a walk. The gato is common in the home and rests a lot. The conejo can be at home or in a small farm. A pájaro lives in a cage or flies freely, depending on the situation. The pez lives in an aquarium or in the water. To talk about a pet, the idea of care, companionship, and food is used a lot. One can say tener un perro, tener un gato or tener un pez.

gatoperropájaropezconejo

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Animal pequeño de orejas largas que suele comer verduras y saltar con rapidezAnimal doméstico muy fiel que suele acompañar a las personas y jugar con ellas en casaAnimal doméstico muy curioso que disfruta dormir y explorar rincones tranquilosAnimal que vive en el agua y respira gracias a sus branquiasAnimal con plumas que normalmente puede volar y canta en muchos jardines

Vocabulary of common pets at home

Word	Definition
perro	Domestic animal very loyal that usually accompanies people and plays with them at home.
gato	Domestic animal very curious that enjoys sleeping and exploring quiet corners.
conejo	Small animal with long ears that tends to eat vegetables and jump quickly.
pájaro	Animal with feathers that can normally fly and often sings in many gardens.
pez	Animal that lives in the water and breathes through its gills.

Scramble

On the farm very well-known animals appear: vaca, caballo, cerdo, oveja and gallina. The vaca gives milk and lives in the countryside. The caballo moves fast and is used for riding or working. The cerdo lives in a pigsty and is a very common farm animal. The oveja has wool and usually is in a group. The gallina lays eggs and walks in the coop. These words are used to talk about farms, food, and rural life.

gallinavacacaballoovejacerdo

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Animal de granja que da leche y suele pasar el día comiendo hierbaAnimal grande y fuerte que puede correr deprisa y llevar a personasAve de granja que pone huevos y camina picoteando el sueloAnimal de granja que tiene hocico y le gusta revolcarse en el barroAnimal de lana suave que vive en grupo y suele hacer un sonido muy conocido

Basic vocabulary of farm animals

Word	Definition
vaca	Farm animal that gives milk and usually spends the day eating grass.
caballo	Large and strong animal that can run fast and carry people.
cerdo	Farm animal with a snout that likes to roll in the mud.
oveja	Woolly animal that lives in a group and usually makes a well-known sound.
gallina	Farm bird that lays eggs and walks pecking the ground.

Scramble

Wild animals live in nature or in places like the zoo. Among the best known are león, tigre, elefante, jirafa and oso. The león and the tigre are strong and dangerous animals. The elefante is very large and has a trunk. The jirafa has a long neck and eats leaves from trees. The oso lives in the forest or in cold areas and can be very large. These words are used to describe animals that do not live as pets or as farm animals.

osotigreleónjirafaelefante

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Felino grande con rayas que se mueve con mucha fuerza y sigiloAnimal alto de cuello largo que alcanza hojas de las ramas más altasAnimal grande y peludo que puede caminar, trepar y buscar comida en el bosqueAnimal salvaje famoso por su melena y su rugido muy fuerteAnimal enorme con trompa larga que suele recordar muy bien los caminos

Vocabulary of wild animals and the zoo

Word	Definition
león	Wild animal famous for its mane and very loud roar.
tigre	Large feline with stripes that moves with strength and stealth.
elefante	Huge animal with a long trunk that usually remembers paths well.
jirafa	Tall-necked animal that reaches leaves on the highest branches.
oso	Big, furry animal that can walk, climb, and search for food in the forest.

Scramble

There are small animals that can be seen in gardens, fields, and houses. Ratón is a small animal that runs quickly. Rana lives near water and jumps. Lagarto moves along the ground and basks in the sun. Mariposa flies from flower to flower. Hormiga works in a group and is very small. In the sea there are delfín, tiburón, pulpo and ballena. The delfín swims quickly and is usually friendly. The tiburón is a large and dangerous fish. The pulpo has eight arms. The ballena is enormous and lives in the ocean.

pulpolagartotiburónranamariposaballenadelfínhormigaratón

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Pez grande del mar con dientes afilados y gran velocidadInsecto muy pequeño que trabaja en grupo y transporta cosas pesadasAnimal pequeño que corre deprisa y suele vivir cerca de las casas o del campoAnimal marino con ocho brazos que se mueve con mucha habilidadAnimal pequeño de piel húmeda que salta y vive cerca del aguaAnimal marino muy inteligente que salta fuera del agua con facilidadAnimal marino enorme que vive en el océano y respira aireInsecto de alas de colores que vuela de flor en florReptil que suele tomar el sol y moverse pegado al suelo

Vocabulary of small and marine animals

Word	Definition
ratón	Small animal that runs fast and usually lives near houses or in the countryside.
rana	Small animal with moist skin that jumps and lives near water.
lagarto	Reptile that usually basks in the sun and moves close to the ground.
mariposa	Insect with colorful wings that flies from flower to flower.
hormiga	Very small insect that works in a group and carries heavy things.
delfín	Very intelligent marine animal that jumps out of the water with ease.
tiburón	Large sea fish with sharp teeth and great speed.
pulpo	Marine animal with eight arms that moves with great skill.
ballena	Huge marine animal that lives in the ocean and breathes air.

Scramble

The young of some animals have their own names. The cachorro is the puppy of the dog and is also used for young animals of other species. The gatito is the small cat. The pollito is born from the chicken’s egg and has yellow feathers at first. The ternero is the calf. The potro is the young horse. These words are used when the animal is still small and needs care.

gatitoterneropollitopotrocachorro

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Cría de algunos animales como el perro o el lobo, muy pequeña y juguetonaCría del caballo que ya corre mucho pero aún está creciendoCría de la vaca que todavía es joven y tiene aspecto delicadoCría del gato que es muy pequeña y suele ser muy tiernaCría de la gallina que tiene plumas suaves y color amarillo

Vocabulary of animal offspring

Word	Definition
cachorro	Offspring of some animals such as dogs or wolves, very small and playful.
gatito	Offspring of the cat that is very small and usually very cute.
pollito	Offspring of the hen that has soft feathers and yellow color.
ternero	Offspring of the cow that is still young and has a delicate look.
potro	Offspring of the horse that already runs a lot but is still growing.

Scramble

With animals very common verbs are used such as ladrar, maullar, volar, nadar and correr. The perro barks. The gato meows. The pájaro flies. The pez and the delfín swim. The caballo runs fast. Adjectives like simple: grande, pequeño, rápido, peligroso and doméstico. An elefante is grande. A ratón is pequeño. A tigre is rápido and peligroso. A perro can be doméstico.

Usage of verbs and adjectives for animals

Usage	Explanation
Dog barking	Use to bark for the sound a dog makes when it wants to warn or play.
Cat sound	Use to meow for the soft sound a cat makes.
Movement through the air	Use to fly for animals that move through the sky with wings.
Movement in water	Use to swim for animals that move inside the water.
Running quickly	Use to run to describe a fast movement on land.
Large size	Use large to talk about very big animals.
Small size	Use small to indicate that an animal is not big.
Very fast	Use fast to say that an animal moves with a lot of speed.
Capacity to cause harm	Use dangerous for animals that can cause fear or harm.
Home life	Use domestic for animals that live with people or near them.

In Spanish there are many fixed expressions with this vocabulary. Tener mascota is used to talk about an animal at home: Tengo mascota or Tengo un perro. Ir al zoo is used to visit wild animals: Vamos al zoo. Ver animales is used on excursions, films, or books: Me gusta ver animales. It is also common to talk about cuidar una mascota, dar de comer a un animal or mirar animales en la naturaleza. These expressions appear a lot in everyday conversations.

Common expressions with animals

Usage	Explanation
Having an animal at home	Use to have a pet to say that a person takes care of an animal in their home.
Leisure visit	Use to go to the zoo to talk about an outing to see animals in a zoo.
Observation of wildlife	Use to see animals to talk about observing them in nature or in a prepared place.
Animals on the farm	Use farm animals to talk about the group of animals that live on a farm.
Companion animals	Use companion animal for an animal that lives close to people and keeps them company.
Daily care	Use to feed to indicate that a person feeds an animal.
Place to sleep	Use dog house to talk about the small house for a dog.
Sound of animals	Use to make noise to describe the sound some animals make.
Care with respect	Use do not bother to remind that we should not bother the animals.
Walk with an animal	Use to take for a walk to talk about taking a dog outside the home.

Some animal names change according to the country, but others remain very similar. Tortuga, pez and ave are used widely in many regions. Ave is a general word for an animal with feathers and wings. In other cases, the same species may receive different names depending on the region, especially for small animals or local species. That is why it is useful to learn the most common names first and recognize that the same animal can have more than one way to name itself in Spanish.