100+ Circus Words and Phrases in Spanish
Did you know that the first (modern) circus started in 1768? Yes! It’s that old! Of course, Romans referred to the circus thousands of years before, but that’s a very different story.
The circus is a great place to go and have fun whenever it comes to town—it’s also an entertaining theme to use for learning Spanish.
Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, or simply an avid Spanish learner who wants to improve their vocabulary, stick around to learn all about the circus in Spanish!
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The very first thing that comes to mind when you think about a circus is the circus tent, isn’t it?
But inside that tent there are more things!
| English | Spanish |
| (circus) tent | la carpa de circo |
| stairs | el graderío |
| seats | los asientos |
| stage | el escenario |
| ticket booth | la taquilla |
| ticket | el tíquet o tiquete |
| flags | las banderas |
Example Sentences in Spanish
Compremos tres boletos en la taquilla.
Let’s buy three tickets at the booth
El escenario es espacioso.
The stage is spacious.
La lona del circo es muy colorida.
The circus tent is very colorful.
Spanish Traveling Circus Vocabulary
Many circuses travel from town to town to entertain a wide range of people—regularly packing and unpacking all of their belongings.
They use stuff like cages for the animals, and trucks to carry everything from place to place.
| English | Spanish |
| trucks | los camiones |
| cages | las jaulas |
| boxes | las cajas |
| ropes | las sogas o pitas |
| hooks | los ganchos |
| refrigerators | los refrigeradores o las refrigeradas |
| beds | las camas |
| suits | los trajes |
| make up | el maquillaje |
| rings | los aros o anillos |
| props | los artículos de utilería |
What to Eat at the Circus in Spanish
After you buy your ticket and sit down, what’s your plan? To buy some snacks, of course! You may find the following snacks at a circus near you:
| English | Spanish |
| popcorn | los poporopos* |
| peanuts | el maní o las manías |
| cotton candy | el algodón de azúcar |
| ice cream | el helado |
| hot dog | el hot dog o perro caliente |
| soda | la gaseosa |
| iced tea | el té frío |
| milkshake | el batido |
| pizza slice | el pedazo de pizza |
| corndog | el corndog |
| sandwich | el sándwich |
| snacks | los bocadillos |
| chocolate (pieces) | los chocolates |
| pushbuttons (like M&M’s) | las botonetas |
| candy | los dulces |
| (bottled) water | el agua embotellada |
FUN FACT! The word “popcorn” wildly varies in Latin America from country to country. Los poporopos is the way we call it in Guatemala, but there are several other words. In Mexico Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Spain, and Nicaragua, they call them las palomitas de maíz. Pochoclo in Argentina, poporocho in Bolivia, cabritas in Chile, rositas de maíz in Cuba, canguil in Ecuador, pororó in Paraguay and Uruguay, rosetas de maíz in Puerto Rico and cotufas in Venezuela.
Example Sentences in Spanish
Compremos unos bocadillos para la función.
Let’s buy some snacks for the show.
Quiero comer un hot dog y beber una gaseosa.
I want to eat a hot dog and drink a soda.
La pizza en el circo no sabe muy bien.
Pizza at the circus doesn’t taste very well.
¡Me encanta el algodón de azúcar!
I love cotton candy!
Items That Circus Performers Use in Spanish
Just before we learn all about the performers, it’s a good idea to learn which instruments they use to perform on stage, because some of their names are related to their performer. Check them out:
| English | Spanish |
| microphone | el micrófono |
| magic wand | la varita mágica |
| horn | la bocina |
| chainsaw | la motosierra |
| trapeze | el trapecio |
| safety net | la red de seguridad |
| whip | el látigo |
| straitjacket | la camisa de fuerza |
| chain | la cadena |
| locks | los candados |
| canyon | el cañón |
| puppets | los títeres |
| unicycle | el monociclo |
| fire | el fuego |
| sword | la espada o el sable |
| stilts | los zancos |
| ball | la pelota o la bola |
| horn | la bocina |
| tight rope | la cuerda floja |
The Performers at the Circus in Spanish
The performers are the best part of the circus—they make the show! Here are the most popular ones.
| English | Spanish |
| performance or show | la función o el show |
| showman | el presentador |
| magician | el mago |
| circus clown | el (o la) payaso(a) de circo |
| juggler | el (o la) malabarista |
| trapeze artist | el (o la) trapecista |
| acrobat | el (o la) acróbata |
| tamer | el (o la) domador(a) |
| contortionist | el o la contorsionista |
| escapist | el o la escapista |
| bullet man | el hombre bala |
| mime | el mimo |
| puppeteer | el titiritero |
| unicyclist | el o la monociclista |
| fire eater | el o la tragafuego |
| sword eater | el o la tragasables |
| ventriloquist | el o la ventríluoco |
| stilt man | el o la zanquero(a) |
| tightrope | el funámbulo |
Example Sentences in Spanish
¡Vamos al circo a ver payasos!
Let’s go to the circus and see clowns.
El mago no tiene ninguna varita. ¿Qué va a hacer?
The magician has no wand. What is he going to do?
¡Quiero ver al trapecista ya!
I want to see the trapeze artist now!
¡La malabarista hace malabares con motosierras!
The juggler juggles chainsaws!
¡Ese tragasable es increíble!
That sword eater is amazing!
No hay una red de seguridad para el funámbulo. ¡Qué peligroso!
There is no safety net for the tightrope. That is dangerous!
Stunts at the Circus in Spanish
Circus performers wouldn’t have such an exciting name for themselves if they didn’t rely on their stunts. In this next list, see the most popular stunts that occur in circuses worldwide.
| English | Spanish |
| juggling | los malabares |
| contortion | la contorsión |
| escapology | el acto de escapismo |
| fire eating | comer fuego |
| fire breathing | respirar fuego o escupir fuego |
| glass eating | comer vidrio |
| glass walking | caminar sobre vidrio |
| magic trick | el truco de magia |
| magic show | el show de magia |
| jokes | los chistes |
| sword swallowing | tragar espadas |
| blade box | la caja de cuchillas |
| snake charmer | el encanta serpientes |
| taming | domar |
| tightrope act | el acto en la cuerda floja |
| spectacle | el espectáculo |
| stilt show | el espectáculo con zancos |
| opening act | el acto introductorio |
| grand finale | el gran final |
Animals in the Circus in Spanish
Some circuses still use animals to entertain the crowd and go to great lengths to treat them well with kindness and respect. Classic circus animals include:
| English | Spanish |
| elephant | el elefante |
| lion | el león |
| tiger | el tigre |
| bear | el oso |
| seal | la foca |
FUN FACT: Some Latin American countries prohibit using any type of animal at the circus—including Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Paraguay.
Example Sentences in Spanish
¡Quiero ver al oso montar el triciclo!
I want to see the bear ride the tricycle
¡Qué divertidos los chistes del payaso!
The clown’s jokes are very funny!
¿Podemos ver al mago hacer un truco?
Can we see the magician perform a magic trick?
No me gusta mucho ver los malabares.
I don’t like to see juggling very much.
¡El tragafuego es impresionante!
The fire breather is impressive!
¡Me encantó venir al circo!
I loved coming to the circus!
Spanish Verbs About the Circus
You just read and learned 97 new nouns in Spanish! By incorporating the following list of verbs, you can integrate grammar into your Spanish circus lesson.
- to attend – ir o estar
- to do or to make – hacer
- to throw – tirar
- to eat – comer
- to join – unir o unirse
- to spit – escupir
- to blow – soplar
- to walk – caminar
- to lay – acostarse o recostarse
- to disappear – desaparecer
- to laugh – reír o reírse
- to break – romper
- to repair – reparar
- to cut – cortar
- to divide – dividir
- to split – partir o separar
- to open – abrir
- to close – cerrar
- to begin – empezar o comenzar
- to finish – terminar
Example Sentences in Spanish
¡La función está por comenzar!
The show is about to start!
¡El mago va a separar a su asistente en dos!
The magician is going to separate his assistant in two!
El mago desapareció.
The magician disappeared.
¡Ese hombre está escupiendo fuego!
That man is spitting fire!
¡Esa mujer está acostada en una cama de clavos!
That woman is laying down on a bed made of nails.
La función ya terminó, pero estoy muy feliz.
The show is over but I am very happy.
Quiero escaparme y unirme al circo.
I want to run away and join the circus.
PRO TIP: The verb hacer is super useful with a lot of stunts that stuntmen perform. You can say many things like:
- hacer malabares (juggling)
- hacer magia (magic)
- hacer chistes (jokes)
Spanish Adjectives About the Circus
So far we’ve covered 127 new words in Spanish. Along with the nouns and verbs, sprinkle some descriptive adjectives into your lessons to help your child or student learn to express their opinion about the circus in Spanish!
| English | Spanish |
| pretty | lindo(a) |
| ugly | feo |
| amazing | impresionante |
| boring | aburrido |
| entertaining | entretenido |
| dangerous | peligroso |
| secure | seguro |
| noisy | ruidoso |
| silent | silencioso |
| stressing | estresante |
| relaxing | relajante |
| fun | divertido |
| funny | chistoso |
| memorable | memorable |
| circus | circense |
Example Sentences in Spanish
El truco que hizo el malabarista fue muy cool.
The stunt that the juggler pulled was very cool.
El payaso es muy chistoso.
The clown is very funny.
Lo que hace el tragasables es peligroso.
What the swordeater does is dangerous.
El elefante es muy ruidoso.
The elephant is very noisy.
Ese tigre es lindo, pero parece verse enojado.
That tiger is pretty but looks angry.
La función del circo fue impresionante.
The circus show was amazing!
Kids Songs About the Circus in Spanish
These following 4 songs about the circus in Spanish will support your efforts in teaching Spanish to those around you.
Music is a great way to teach language!
1. Había una vez un circo – Rondas y canciones infantiles
2. El Circo – Canti Rondas
This one will surely stick in your head! It mentions the trapeze artist (trapecista), puppets (marionetas), magicians (magos).
3. Los Payasos – Canciones para Niños
This one talks about clowns and how they dress up, mentioning elements such as:
- Wigs (me pongo la peluca)
- Make up (me pinto las mejillas)
- Suit (me meto en el traje)
- Nose (me pongo la nariz)
- Shoes (me pongo los zapatos)
4. Canción el Payaso Malabarista – Música en Colores
This song is called el payaso malabarista (the juggling clown), it’s a song that mixes fruit, the circus and music, here is the translation of the lyrics:
El payaso malabarista tira y tira las pelotas como es malabarista las transforma en jugo de frutas. Con el Fa hace naranjas, con el Sol hace frutillas, con el La jugo de mora y con el Mi hace limón.
The juggling clown throws and throws the balls, and because he is a juggler he transforms them (the balls) into fruit juice. With the F (this refers to the musical key) he makes oranges, with the G he makes strawberries, with the A blackberry juice, and with the C he makes lemon.
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