Inklingo

How to Say "dolphin" in Spanish

The Spanish word fordolphinis delfínA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1
nounA1
marine mammal
A friendly grey dolphin leaping out of clear blue ocean water.

Examples

Vimos un delfín saltando en el mar.

We saw a dolphin jumping in the sea.

Los delfines son animales muy inteligentes y sociales.

Dolphins are very intelligent and social animals.

El delfín mular es la especie más conocida.

The bottlenose dolphin is the most well-known species.

The Gender Rule

The word 'delfín' is always masculine, even if you are talking about a female dolphin. To specify the sex, you add the word for male (macho) or female (hembra) after it: 'el delfín hembra'.

The Vanishing Accent

When you make the word plural ('delfines'), the written accent mark on the 'í' is removed. This is because the stress naturally stays on the second-to-last syllable without needing the mark.

Adding a feminine 'a'

Mistake:La delfina nadaba en el mar.

Correction: El delfín hembra nadaba en el mar. (Use 'delfina' only for people in politics, never for the animal).

Keeping the accent in plural

Mistake:Los delfínes.

Correction: Los delfines. (The accent mark is not needed in the plural form).

Related Translations

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