Spanish Animal Names: Los Animales
Common Spanish animal vocabulary, from household pets to farm animals to a few classic zoo favorites, with English translations.
Animal names are a favorite starting point for a reason: they’re concrete, easy to picture, and most of them show up constantly in children’s books, nature documentaries, and everyday conversation alike.
The List
- perro: dog
- gato: cat
- pájaro: bird
- pez: fish
- caballo: horse
- vaca: cow
- cerdo: pig
- oveja: sheep
- gallina: hen / chicken
- pato: duck
- león: lion
- tigre: tiger
- oso: bear
- elefante: elephant
- mono: monkey
- conejo: rabbit
- ratón: mouse
- serpiente: snake
- tortuga: turtle
- rana: frog
A Quick Note on Pez vs. Pescado
Spanish has two different words depending on whether the fish is alive or on a plate. Pez is a live fish, swimming: el pez nada en el agua (the fish swims in the water). Pescado is fish as food, once it’s been caught: como pescado los viernes (I eat fish on Fridays). Mixing the two up is a common beginner slip, but native speakers will understand you either way.
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