Animal Sounds (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids)
Have you ever wondered what the animal sounds in Spanish are like?
Well, wonder no more! Today, we’ll dive into the animal sounds in Spanish and discover fun activities to do with your kids or students.
Let’s get right to it because the Spanish ear has a whole different way of hearing the bark and meow!
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20 Animal Sounds in Spanish
1. El perro (dog) — guau
Verb: Ladrar (to bark)
Los perros ladran muy fuerte en la noche.
The dogs bark loudly at night.
Dogs are one of the most common pets. People love them so much because they’re so expressive. They communicate by ladrando (barking) and they usually have a lot to say. There are also other important sounds dogs make to express themselves:
Gruñir — to growl
Aullar — to howl
Arrufarse — to bark while showing teeth
Llorar— to cry
2. La rana (frog) — croá, croá
Verb: Croar (to croak)
Las ranas croan cuando tienen miedo.
Frogs croak when they’re afraid. (frogs croak), of course.
If you’re talking about someone being hoarse, you can also say they croan. Humans make noises when we’re emotional, and animal sounds are an excellent way to describe how we feel.
3. El gato (cat) — miau
Verb: Maullar (to meow)
A los gatos les gusta maullar cuando están solos.
Cats like to meow when they are alone.
Cats usually miau, but they hiss when they feel threatened which is called bufar.
4. La vaca (cow) — mu
Verb: Mugir (to moo)
Las vacas mugen cuando están en el pasto.
Cows moo when they’re in the field.
Spanish has the same onomatopoeia or sound for cow noises as English; the spelling is different but the sound is the same.
5. El pájaro (bird) — pío
Verb: Piar o pipiar (to chirp or tweet)
A los pájaros les gusta piar en las mañanas.
Birds like to chirp in the mornings.
A pío is a chirp or a tweet. There’s a famous song for toddlers called Los Pollitos Dicen, and it’s a wonderful way to practice singing along to pío pío pío.
6. El gallo (rooster) — quiquiriquí, kikirikí
Verb: Cacarear (to cluck)
El gallo no para de cacarear a las 4am.
The rooster won’t stop clucking at 4am.
The rooster is one of the most common animal sounds in Spanish because there are many farm animals in Latin America. Many people raise roosters for food, so it’s common to find them in small towns. The kikirikí is one of the most common sounds you’ll hear early in the morning.
When it comes to cacarear for people, it means to boast about something.
7. El mono (monkey) — i-i-i
Verb: Chillar (to screech)
Los monos chillan de emoción.
Monkeys screech when they’re excited.
8. El lobo (wolf) — aúúú
Verb: Aullar (to howl)
Los lobos aullan cuando hay luna llena.
Wolves howl when it’s a full moon.
Wolves’ sound is known as aullar. There are even songs that talk about how wolves howl at the full moon.
9. El tigre (tiger) — grgrgrgr
Verb: Rugir (to roar)
Los tigres rugen cuando van a atacar.
Tigers roar when they’re about to attack.
10. El cuervo (crow) — cruaaac-cruaac
Verb: Graznar (to caw)
A los cuervos les gusta graznar cuando vuelan alto.
Crows like to caw when they’re flying high.
11. La abeja (bee) — bzzzz
Verb: Zumbar (to buzz)
Las abejas zumban alrededor del panal.
Bees buzz around the beehive.
Zumbar also means “to hit” in Spanish.
12. Los búhos (owls) — uu uu
Verb: Ulular (to hoot)
Los búhos ululan en las noches.
Owls hoot at night.
This verb can also refer to the wind, as in el viento ulula.
Explore more FREE SPANISH LESSONS FOR KIDS! ➡️
Enjoy over 70 unique lessons + free activity packets to download.
More Animal Sounds in Spanish
| Animal | Verb |
| El burro dice ih-oh. (The donkey says hee-haw.) | Rebuznar – to bray |
| El caballo dice iiih. (The horse says neigh.) | Relinchar – to neigh |
| La cabra dice bee. (The goat says baa.) | Balar – to bleat |
| El cerdo dice oink. (The pig says oink.) | Gruñir – to grunt |
| La gallina dice clo-clo. (The hen says cluck cluck.) | Cacarear – to cluck |
| La oveja dice bee. (The sheep says baa.) | Balar – to bleat |
| El pato dice cuak. (The donkey says quack.) | Graznar – to quack |
Animal Sounds in Spanish: Learning Activities
1. Tell Stories Using Animal Sounds in Spanish
Use lots of props and pictures to create stories involving as many animal sounds in Spanish as possible. If the kids are older, they can make up their own stories.
2. Show and Tell
Invite the kids to bring a picture of their favorite animal and talk about why they love them so much. Make sure to include the respective animal sounds in Spanish so that they can review their new vocabulary.
3. Play Memory
Use a card set with pictures of the animals and the names of the animal sounds in Spanish. When they make a match, make sure the kids make the sound to make the game extra fun.
4. Use the Animal Sounds in Spanish Cards for Charades
Charades is a fun game to play with the whole family. Kids and adults alike take turns drawing an animal card, making the animal sound, and acting it out for the others to guess.
5. Review the Verbs of the Animal Sounds in Spanish
The verbs are equally important, so make sure to have kids practice the different ways to use the verbs in written and spoken sentences.
Listen to Animal Sounds in Spanish
Now that you know the different animal sounds in Spanish, consider visiting a farm or zoo. This way, kids can listen to the animals themselves and get closer to the animal kingdom. Kids love to play around with animals and imitate the different animal sounds in Spanish.
Sign up for a free trial class and show off your skills with a native Spanish teacher today. It’s fun to practice animal sounds in Spanish!
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