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caballos

/kah-BAH-yohs/

horses

A majestic brown horse standing in a bright green field under a clear blue sky, illustrating the animal meaning.

The literal meaning of caballos is horses.

caballos(noun)

mA1

horses

?

The animal

📝 In Action

Vimos muchos caballos corriendo libres en el campo.

A1

We saw many horses running free in the field.

¿Cuántos caballos necesitas para tirar de esta carreta?

A2

How many horses do you need to pull this cart?

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • equinos (equines)

Common Collocations

  • carreras de caballos – horse races
  • montar a caballos – to ride horses

💡 Grammar Points

Masculine Plural

Since 'caballo' is a masculine word, 'caballos' is also masculine and requires masculine adjectives and articles (like 'los' or 'unos').

⭐ Usage Tips

Pronunciation Tip

Remember that the double 'L' (ll) sounds like the 'y' in 'yes' in many regions of Spain and Latin America, making it sound like 'kah-BAH-yohs'.

A powerful, muscular horse straining as it pulls a large, heavy wagon up a hill, symbolizing the measurement unit of horsepower.

Caballos can also refer to horsepower, a unit of mechanical power.

caballos(noun)

mB2

horsepower

?

Measurement of power (HP)

Also:

HP

?

Abbreviation for horsepower

📝 In Action

El motor de ese coche tiene cien caballos de fuerza.

B2

That car's engine has one hundred horsepower.

Necesitas más caballos para remolcar un bote tan grande.

C1

You need more horsepower to tow such a large boat.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • potencia (power)

Common Collocations

  • caballos de vapor – metric horsepower (CV)

💡 Grammar Points

Figurative Usage

In this context, 'caballos' is short for 'caballos de fuerza' (horsepower) and is used metaphorically to describe the power of a machine, linking back to the idea of a strong working animal.

A simple, stylized white chess knight piece standing on a checkered board.

In the context of chess, caballos are the knight pieces.

caballos(noun)

mB1

knights

?

Chess pieces

Also:

horses

?

Sometimes used for the knight piece in chess or cards

📝 In Action

Moví mis dos caballos para proteger al rey.

B1

I moved my two knights to protect the king.

En el ajedrez, los caballos se mueven en forma de L.

B1

In chess, the knights move in an L shape.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • piezas (pieces)

Common Collocations

  • torres y caballos – rooks and knights

💡 Grammar Points

Context is Key

When discussing a game like chess ('ajedrez'), the listener understands that 'caballos' refers to the game pieces, not the animals.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: caballos

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'caballos' to talk about a measurement of machine power?

📚 More Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'caballos' mean both a horse and a chess piece?

This happens because the chess piece is shaped like a horse's head and often represents a mounted warrior (a knight, or 'caballero'). Spanish simply uses the animal's name to refer to its figure on the board.

Is 'caballos' a gender-neutral word?

No. 'Caballos' is the masculine plural form. It can refer to a group of male horses, a mixed group of male and female horses, or the general concept of horses. If you want to talk specifically about female horses, you would say 'yeguas'.