animales
“animales” means “animals” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
animals
Also: beasts, creatures
📝 In Action
En el zoológico vimos muchos animales exóticos.
A1In the zoo, we saw many exotic animals.
Los animales domésticos necesitan mucho cuidado y amor.
A2Domestic animals need a lot of care and love.
El comportamiento de los animales marinos es fascinante.
B1The behavior of marine animals is fascinating.
wild people
Also: savages, idiots
📝 In Action
¡Comportaos! Parecéis animales en esta fiesta.
B2Behave yourselves! You look like savages at this party.
Esos conductores son unos animales, no respetan las señales.
C1Those drivers are beasts (meaning: reckless/stupid), they don't respect the signs.
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: animales
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'animales' to mean rude, unruly people?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'animālis,' which originally meant 'having breath' or 'of the nature of living being.' The root 'anima' means 'soul' or 'life breath.'
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'animales' masculine, even when referring to female animals?
In Spanish, the noun 'animal' (and its plural 'animales') is inherently masculine. It refers to the concept of 'creature' regardless of sex. You only change the gender of the adjective used to describe a specific animal if its sex is known (e.g., 'la leona' is a female lion, but the word 'animal' itself remains masculine).