Animal actions in Spanish vocabulary allow you to describe the behavior and movement of animals more precisely and naturally when speaking or writing.

Common Animal Actions

Common animal action words in Spanish cover a range of movements and behaviors observed in animals, such as walking, running, flying, and sleeping.

Spanish Singular	English Singular	Spanish Plural	English Plural	Example in Spanish	Example in English
caminar	to walk	caminar / caminan	to walk / they walk	Los perros caminan en el parque.	The dogs walk in the park.
correr	to run	correr / corren	to run / they run	Los gatos corren rápido.	The cats run fast.
saltar	to jump	saltar / saltan	to jump / they jump	Las ranas saltan en el jardín.	The frogs jump in the garden.
volar	to fly	volar / vuelan	to fly / they fly	Los pájaros vuelan en el cielo.	The birds fly in the sky.
nadar	to swim	nadar / nadan	to swim / they swim	Los peces nadan en el agua.	The fish swim in the water.
dormir	to sleep	dormir / duermen	to sleep / they sleep	Los gatos duermen todo el día.	The cats sleep all day.
cantar	to sing	cantar / cantan	to sing / they sing	Los pájaros cantan en la mañana.	The birds sing in the morning.
morder	to bite	morder / muerden	to bite / they bite	El perro muerde el hueso.	The dog bites the bone.
rugir	to roar	rugir / rugen	to roar / they roar	El león ruge en la selva.	The lion roars in the jungle.
trepar	to climb	trepar / trepan	to climb / they climb	Los monos trepan los árboles.	The monkeys climb the trees.

Specialized Animal Actions

Some animal actions are specific to certain types of animals and describe unique behaviors such as hibernating, grooming, or burrowing.

Spanish Singular	English Singular	Spanish Plural	English Plural	Example in Spanish	Example in English
hibernar	to hibernate	hibernar / hibernan	to hibernate / they hibernate	Los osos hibernan en invierno.	The bears hibernate in winter.
acechar	to stalk	acechar / acechan	to stalk / they stalk	El tigre acecha a su presa.	The tiger stalks its prey.
construir	to build	construir / construyen	to build / they build	Los castores construyen presas.	The beavers build dams.
excavar	to dig	excavar / excavan	to dig / they dig	Los conejos excavan madrigueras.	The rabbits dig burrows.
aparearse	to mate	aparearse / se aparean	to mate / they mate	Los pájaros se aparean en primavera.	The birds mate in spring.
deslizarse	to glide/slip	deslizarse / se deslizan	to glide/slip / they glide/slip	Las serpientes se deslizan silenciosamente.	The snakes glide silently.
acechar	to stalk	acechar / acechan	to stalk / they stalk	Los felinos acechan a sus presas.	The felines stalk their prey.
refugiarse	to take shelter	refugiarse / se refugian	to take shelter / they take shelter	Los animales se refugian en cuevas.	The animals take shelter in caves.
revolcarse	to roll around	revolcarse / se revuelcan	to roll around / they roll around	Los cerdos se revuelcan en el barro.	The pigs roll around in the mud.
bufar	to snort	bufar / bufan	to snort / they snort	Los toros bufan antes de pelear.	The bulls snort before fighting.

Describing Animal Behavior

These verbs help you talk about more detailed aspects of animal behavior, such as communicating, grooming, or caring for their young.

Spanish Singular	English Singular	Spanish Plural	English Plural	Example en Spanish	Example en English
comunicar	to communicate	comunicar / comunican	to communicate / they communicate	Las ballenas comunican con sonidos.	The whales communicate with sounds.
acicalarse	to groom oneself	acicalarse / se acicalan	to groom oneself / they groom themselves	Los gatos se acicalan el pelaje.	The cats groom their fur.
cuidar	to take care of	cuidar / cuidan	to take care of / they take care of	Las elefantas cuidan a sus crías.	The female elephants take care of their young.
proteger	to protect	proteger / protegen	to protect / they protect	La madre protege a sus cachorros.	The mother protects her puppies.
desplazarse	to move around	desplazarse / se desplazan	to move around / they move around	Las aves se desplazan en grandes grupos.	The birds move around in large groups.
emitir	to emit (sounds)	emitir / emiten	to emit / they emit	Los delfines emiten sonidos submarinos.	The dolphins emit underwater sounds.
socializar	to socialize	socializar / socializan	to socialize / they socialize	Los lobos socializan en manadas.	The wolves socialize in packs.
alimentarse	to feed oneself	alimentarse / se alimentan	to feed oneself / they feed themselves	Los osos se alimentan de bayas.	The bears feed themselves on berries.
reproducirse	to reproduce	reproducirse / se reproducen	to reproduce / they reproduce	Los animales se reproducen en primavera.	The animals reproduce in spring.
explorar	to explore	explorar / exploran	to explore / they explore	Los cachorros exploran su entorno.	The puppies explore their surroundings.

The whales communicate with sounds.

Las ballenas duermen con sonidos.

Las ballenas ___ con sonidos.

Las ballenas corren con sonidos.

Las ballenas saltan con sonidos.

Las ballenas ___ con sonidos.

The correct verb for 'communicate' is 'comunicar'. The sentence is 'Las ballenas comunican con sonidos.'

Expressing Movement and Sounds

These verbs are useful for describing the sounds animals make as well as the various types of movement they use.

Spanish Singular	English Singular	Spanish Plural	English Plural	Example en Spanish	Example en English
gruñir	to growl	gruñir / gruñen	to growl / they growl	El perro gruñe a los extraños.	The dog growls at strangers.
chirriar	to squeak/scream	chirriar / chirrían	to squeak/scream / they squeak/scream	Los ratones chirrían en la noche.	The mice squeak at night.
aullar	to howl	aullar / aúllan	to howl / they howl	Los lobos aúllan a la luna.	The wolves howl at the moon.
zumbar	to buzz	zumbar / zumban	to buzz / they buzz	Las abejas zumban alrededor de las flores.	The bees buzz around the flowers.
croar	to croak	croar / croan	to croak / they croak	Las ranas croan en el estanque.	The frogs croak in the pond.
escabullirse	to sneak away	escabullirse / se escabullen	to sneak away / they sneak away	La rata se escabulle por la grieta.	The rat sneaks away through the crack.
desplazarse	to move	desplazarse / se desplazan	to move / they move	Los camellos se desplazan por el desierto.	The camels move through the desert.
batir	to flap	batir / baten	to flap / they flap	Las aves baten sus alas fuerte.	The birds flap their wings strongly.
balancearse	to swing/sway	balancearse / se balancean	to swing/sway / they swing/sway	Los monos se balancean en las ramas.	The monkeys swing on the branches.
sigilarse	to sneak	sigilarse / se sigilan	to sneak / they sneak	Los felinos se sigilan al atacar.	The felines sneak up when attacking.

The dog growls at strangers.

El perro baila a los extraños.

El perro ___ a los extraños.

El perro canta a los extraños.

El perro corre a los extraños.

El perro ___ a los extraños.

The correct verb for 'growl' is 'gruñir'. The sentence is 'El perro gruñe a los extraños.'

Useful Phrases with Animals

Common verb uses that always come up when talking about animals, such as getting up, sitting down, or moving around.

Spanish Phrase	English Phrase	Example in Spanish	Example in English
levantarse	to get up	El perro se levanta temprano.	The dog gets up early.
sentarse	to sit down	El gato se sienta en la ventana.	The cat sits on the window.
acostarse	to lie down/go to bed	El caballo se acuesta en el establo.	The horse lies down in the stable.
moverse	to move	Los animales se mueven con cuidado.	The animals move carefully.
quedarse quieto	to stay still	El camaleón se queda quieto para camuflarse.	The chameleon stays still to camouflage.
esconderse	to hide	El zorro se esconde en el bosque.	The fox hides in the forest.
aparecer	to appear	El búho aparece por la noche.	The owl appears at night.
desaparecer	to disappear	El ciervo desaparece entre los árboles.	The deer disappears among the trees.
seguir	to follow	Las crías siguen a su madre.	The offspring follow their mother.
observar	to observe	Los turistas observan a los animales salvajes.	The tourists observe the wild animals.

Animal action verbs in Spanish provide the tools you need to describe what animals do, from everyday behaviors to specialized movements.

Flashcards (1 of 50)

English Singular: to walk
English Plural: to walk / they walk
Example in English: The dogs walk in the park.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025