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caballo

ka-BA-yokaˈβa.ʝo

“caballo” means “horse” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

horse

Also: stallion
NounmA1
A friendly, sturdy brown horse standing in a bright green meadow under a blue sky.

📝 In Action

Mi abuelo tiene un caballo blanco en su granja.

A1

My grandfather has a white horse on his farm.

Me encanta montar a caballo por el campo.

A2

I love to ride a horse through the countryside.

Los vaqueros domaron al caballo salvaje.

B1

The cowboys tamed the wild horse.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • corcel (steed)
  • potro (colt, foal)

Common Collocations

  • montar a caballo – to ride a horse
  • carrera de caballos – horse race
  • cola de caballo – ponytail (literally 'horse's tail')

Idioms & Expressions

  • a caballo regalado no se le mira el diente – Don't look a gift horse in the mouth; be grateful for what you get.

knight

NounmB1
A stylized white, carved wooden knight chess piece resting on a dark square of a chessboard.

📝 In Action

En ajedrez, el caballo se mueve en forma de L.

B1

In chess, the knight moves in an L-shape.

Sacrifiqué mi caballo para poner al rey en jaque.

B2

I sacrificed my knight to put the king in check.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • mover el caballo – to move the knight
  • sacrificar el caballo – to sacrifice the knight

Vocabulary Collections

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "caballo" in Spanish:

horse→knight→stallion→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: caballo

Question 1 of 1

If a friend says 'Moví mi caballo para proteger a la reina,' what are they talking about?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
caballero(gentleman, knight) — Noun
caballería(cavalry, chivalry) — Noun
cabalgar(to ride (a horse)) — Verb
yegua(mare (female horse)) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'caballus,' which was a common term for a workhorse or packhorse. Over time, it replaced the more formal Latin word 'equus' in everyday speech, which is where we get English words like 'equestrian'.

First recorded: 10th century

Cognates (Related words)

French: chevalItalian: cavalloPortuguese: cavalo

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'caballo' and 'caballero'?

'Caballo' is the animal, a horse. 'Caballero' means 'gentleman' or 'knight' (a person). A fun way to remember is that a 'caballero' is someone who rides a 'caballo'.

How do you say 'pony' in Spanish?

The word for 'pony' in Spanish is 'el poni'. It looks and sounds very similar to the English word!