Pets in Spanish: Complete Vocabulary Lesson for Beginners

Talking about pets in Spanish is both fun and educational! Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Spanish speaker, mastering pet-related words can give you a better understanding of the language and help you communicate with native speakers more effectively. 

Plus, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of being able to talk about your beloved pet in the language of your choice. With the right approach and enough practice, you’ll be able to master Spanish pet vocabulary in no time! 

In this article, you’ll discover the names of common types of pets in Spanish, along with useful words like items your pet uses, descriptive words for how fuzzy or slimy they are, and action verbs to explain what they’re always doing. Not only vocabulary-focused, we’ll cover how to conjugate common pet-related verbs in the present and past tenses; we’ll see two example conversations where people talk about their pets; and you can take a quiz at the end to check your understanding.

And don’t forget to take your free flashcards with you! Simply fill in the form below to get these useful study tools in an instant.

Let’s jump in!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Lists of Common Pets in Spanish
• Items for Your Pet in Spanish
• Adjectives: How To Describe Your Pet in Spanish
• Useful Nouns About Pets in Spanish
• Verbs To Describe Your Pets’ Actions in Spanish
• Build Sentences To Talk About Pets in Spanish
• 2 Example Spanish Conversations About Pets
• Common Idiomatic Spanish Expressions Using Pet Vocabulary
• Multiple Choice Quiz: Pet Vocabulary in Spanish

The World of Pets in Spanish

If you have a pet, or have had one at some point in your life, you know that a whole world exists around them. If you have never had a pet, I’m sure you have noticed how passionate people are about their pets. They can’t stop talking about them. 

But, have you ever had to talk about your pets in Spanish? 

Questions such as “How do you say puppy in Spanish?” or “What’s the Spanish word for animal?” come to mind. They also open the door to this wonderful world of pets in Spanish. 

Let’s explore it together!

Lists of Common Pets in Spanish

The word for “pets” in Spanish is las mascotas. You could ask a friend of yours, “¿Tienes una mascota?” to mean, “Do you have a pet?”

To learn the different names of common pets in Spanish, you’ll love the following list. According to Pet Helpful, these are the 10 Most Common Pets in the U.S.:

¿Qué mascota tienes?
Which pet do you have?

You might like: 200+ Names of Animals in Spanish: Vocabulary for Everyone

More Types of Pets in Spanish

While these aren’t the top 10, they’re also pretty common pets to have.

You might like: 100 Most Popular Spanish Dog Names You’ll Want to Name your Pet

Example Sentences in Spanish

Mi vecino tiene un pájaro como mascota y creo que eventualmente se irá volando.
My neighbor has a pet bird and I think it’s going to fly away eventually.

Desearía tener un gato. ¿Tú tienes alguna mascota?
I wish I had a cat. Do you have a pet?

¿Cómo se dice cat en español? – Gato.
How do you say cat in Spanish? – Gato.

La semana pasada vi al perro más hermoso que he visto en una tienda de mascotas.
Last week I saw the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen at a pet shop.

¿Cómo se dice dog en español? – Perro.
How do you say dog in Spanish? – Perro.

Mamá, ¿puedo tener un pez como mascota?
Mom, can I have a pet fish?

Papá, ¿crees que podríamos ir a la tienda de mascotas? Quiero comprar un hámster.
Dad, do you think we could go to the pet store? I want to buy a hamster.

En español, el femenino de loro es lora.
In Spanish, the feminine of parrot is lora.

Mi hijo quiere una mascota, pero no creo que sea lo suficientemente responsable todavía. ¿Crees que una tortuga sería un buen comienzo?
My son wants a pet but I don’t think he’s responsible enough yet. Do you think a turtle would be a good start?

Conozco a una chica que tiene una araña como mascota, ¡me aterra!
I know a girl who has a spider as a pet, it terrifies me! 

Items for Your Pet in Spanish

There are different items you need in order to take care of your pet. Check these out!

Example Sentences in Spanish

Le compré una placa a mi mascota para que no se pierda.
I bought a badge for my pet so he doesn’t get lost.

No tengo mascota, pero si tuviera, la acostaría a dormir todas las noches en su cama.
I don’t have a pet, but if I did I would put him to sleep every night in his bed.

Este collar podría funcionar para diferentes mascotas.
This collar could work for different pets.

¿Podrías traducir la palabra “kennel” de inglés a español?
Could you translate the word “kennel” from English to Spanish?

Cuando tenga una mascota, le insertaré un microchip.
When I have a pet, I’ll insert him with a microchip.

Usaré una etiqueta de identificación para escribir todos los nombres de mis mascotas en español.
I’ll use an ID tag to write all my pet names in Spanish.

Adjectives: How To Describe Your Pet in Spanish

Would you like to describe pets’ attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors? Check the following adjectives to help you improve your conversations about pets in Spanish:

Example Sentences in Spanish

¡El perro de mi amiga es adorable!
My friend’s dog is adorable!

Dicen que los perros son alérgicos al chocolate.
They say dogs are allergic to chocolate.

¡Mi mascota es la más hermosa del mundo!
My pet is the most beautiful one in the world!

La serpiente de mi amigo es muy exótica, tiene colores brillantes y llamativos.
My friend’s snake is very exotic, it has bright and striking colors.

Los perros son los amigos más fieles del hombre.
Dogs are man’s most faithful friends.

Mi mascota es muy graciosa, siempre me hace reír.
My pet is very funny, he always makes me laugh.

Mi gato es muy silencioso.
My cat is very quiet.

Creo que mi tortuga es más lenta de lo normal, tal vez le pesa mucho su caparazón.
I think my turtle is slower than normal, maybe its shell is too heavy.

Los hámsters son inteligentes, saben cómo cavar madrigueras en sus jaulas.
Hamsters are smart, they know how to dig burrows in their cages. 

You might like: How To Describe Animals in Spanish With This List of Adjectives

Useful Nouns About Pets in Spanish

You may already be familiar with the fact that nouns in Spanish have a gender. They can be either masculine or feminine. Because of this, all of our vocabulary lists at Homeschool Spanish Academy include the corresponding article for each noun, el for male and la for female. This means that if, for example, you’re talking about a female cat, you have to say “la gata” instead of “el gato.”

Example Sentences in Spanish

Hay muchas razas de perros diferentes.
There are many different breeds of dog.

Me dan miedo los colmillos de las serpientes.
I’m afraid of the fangs of snakes.

Mi gato tiene garras enormes.
My cat has huge claws.

Cuando abro la puerta de mi carro, mi perro sabe que significa que irá al peluquero.  
When I open my car’s door, my dog knows it means he’s going to the groomer.

¿Crees que los veterinarios le hablan en español a los animales?
Do you think vets talk to animals in Spanish?

¿Sabías que si le arrancas los bigotes a un gato, este perderá el equilibrio?
Did you know that if you tear off a cat’s whiskers, it will lose its balance?

Verbs To Describe Your Pets’ Actions in Spanish

These verbs will help you express what pets do and what humans do to or with their pets. 

More Verbs To Describe Your Pets’ Actions in Spanish

Example Sentences in Spanish

¡El perro de mi vecino nunca para de ladrar! Ya no aguanto más.
My neighbor’s dog never stops barking! I can’t handle It anymore.

Me da mucho miedo que una araña me muerda.
I’m so afraid that a spider will bite me.

Me encanta escuchar a mis canarios piar todas las mañanas.
I love to hear my canaries chirping every morning.

Cuando los gatos quieren atrapar algo, primero gatean lentamente.
When cats want to catch something, they crawl slowly first.

Es muy gracioso cuando mi ratón salta en vez de caminar.
It’s so funny when my mouse hops instead of walking.

No tengo una mascota con la cual jugar.
I don’t have a pet to play with.

¿Puedo acariciarlo?
Can I pet him?

La mayoría de los animales corren más rápido que los humanos.
Most animals run faster than humans.

Voy a sacar a nuestro perro a pasear. ¡Regreso pronto!
I’m taking our dog for a walk. Will be back soon!

Build Sentences To Talk About Pets in Spanish

Using common verbs and their conjugations in present and past tense, let’s build some sentences that you can use when talking about your pets in Spanish.

For this exercise, I’m choosing five of the verbs I introduced above and including their present tense and simple past conjugations, to give you a wider range of possibilities.

Entrenar – To Train

Example Sentences

Él entrenó a su perro sin ayuda de nadie. 
He trained his dog without anyone’s help. 

Aquí en la academia entrenamos perros de todas las razas. 
Here at the academy, we train dogs of every breed.

Jugar – To Play

Example Sentences

Yo juego con mi hámster todos los días. 
I play with my hamster every day. 

Ayer jugaste con la gatita de Jorge.
Yesterday, you played with Jorge’s kitty. 

Correr – To Run

Example Sentences

¿Ustedes también corren con su perro? 
Do you also run with your dog? 

Pipo y yo corrimos 4 kilómetros en el parque.
Pipo and I ran 4 kilometers in the park. 

Peinar/Cepillar – To Brush

Example Sentences

Anoche peiné a mi perro. 
Last night, I brushed my dog.

Carla cepilla a su gato cada mañana. 
Carla brushes her cat every morning.

Hablar – To Talk

Example Sentences

No te preocupes, nosotros también hablamos con nuestras mascotas. 
Don’t worry, we also talk with our pets. 

Mis hermanos le hablan a sus peces. 
My brothers talk to their fish.

2 Example Spanish Conversations About Pets

With these example conversations, you can pick up some useful phrases and questions to use in your next conversation about pets!

Conversation #1

Persona 1: ¿Cuál es el nombre de tu perro? / ¿Cómo se llama tu perro?

Persona 2: Pipo.

Persona 1: ¿Muerde?

Persona 2: No, para nada. Puedes acariciarlo.

Persona 1: Está muy lindo. 

Persona 2: Muchas gracias. 

English Translation:

Person 1: What’s your dog’s name?

Person 2: Pipo.

Person 1: Does he bite?

Person 2: Not at all. You can pet him.

Person 1: He’s very cute. 

Person 2: Thank you very much. 

Conversation #2

Persona 1: ¡Qué hermosos peces tienes en tu acuario!

Persona 2: Gracias, son de una especie muy exótica.

Persona 1: ¿Cuántas veces al día los alimentas?

Persona 2: Solo una vez. Todas las mañanas.

Persona 1: ¿Y hablas con ellos? 

Persona 2: ¡Todo el tiempo!

English Translation:

Person 1: What a beautiful group of fish you have in your aquarium!

Person 2: Thank you, they’re a very exotic species.

Person 1: How many times per day do you feed them?

Person 2: Just once. Every morning.

Person 1: And do you talk to them?
Person 2: All the time!

Common Idiomatic Spanish Expressions Using Pet Vocabulary

In Spanish, there are a lot of sayings and phrases that people use with references to animals. Learning what they mean and how to use them will help you understand the language and culture better.

Perro que ladra, no muerde.
Dog that barks doesn’t bite.

Explanation: a person who speaks a lot but at the end never puts his words into actions.  

Hace un día de perros.
Today is a dog’s day.

Explanation: a tough, hard, or difficult day.

Se llevan como perros y gatos.
They get along as dogs and cats.

Explanation: they don’t get along well.

Repetir como un loro.
To repeat as a parrot.

Explanation: to repeat constantly, just like a parrot does.

¡Avanza peor que una tortuga!
He moves worse than a turtle!

Explanation: a person who walks or drives very slowly.

Moverse como pez en el agua.
Move like a fish in the water.

Explanation: to feel very comfortable and behave naturally.

A caballo regalado no le mires el dentado.
On a gifted horse, do not look at his teeth.

Explanation: If someone gives you something as a gift, don’t protest and don’t try to find flaws. Accept it and put on a good face.

Multiple Choice Quiz: Pet Vocabulary in Spanish

Ready to evaluate how much you learned today? Look at the following questions and choose the correct option.

Learn More Spanish!

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Luis F. Dominguez

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Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.

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