ballena
“ballena” means “whale” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
whale
Also: cetacean
📝 In Action
La ballena azul es el animal más grande que existe.
A1The blue whale is the largest animal that exists.
Durante el viaje, vimos una ballena saltando fuera del agua.
A2During the trip, we saw a whale jumping out of the water.
Las ballenas viajan miles de kilómetros para encontrar aguas cálidas.
B1Whales travel thousands of kilometers to find warm waters.
large vehicle
Also: large person
📝 In Action
No puedo estacionar mi coche aquí, es una ballena.
B2I can't park my car here, it's a whale (it's too huge).
El autobús que tomamos era una ballena vieja y ruidosa.
C1The bus we took was an old, noisy whale (a massive vehicle).
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: ballena
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'ballena' in its figurative, informal meaning?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
The word comes directly from the Latin *balaena*, which itself was borrowed from the Ancient Greek word for 'whale.' It has been used in Spanish since the Middle Ages.
First recorded: 13th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
¿Cómo se dice 'baby whale' en español?
The correct term is 'ballenato.' You would not use a diminutive ending like 'ballenita' for the baby.
¿Ballena es una palabra femenina o masculina?
It is always a feminine noun ('la ballena'), even if you are talking about a male whale. This is because the word's origin is feminine.