Inklingo

How to Say "flea" in Spanish

The Spanish word forfleais pulgaA1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA1

pulga

nounA1
the small jumping insect
A tiny brown flea shown in detail against a plain white background.

Examples

Mi perro tiene pulgas.

My dog has fleas.

Las pulgas pueden saltar muy alto.

Fleas can jump very high.

¡Vaya pulga de niño!

What a tiny kid!

Always Feminine

Even if the flea is male, the word is always 'la pulga'. If you need to be specific about the gender of the bug, you have to say 'la pulga macho' or 'la pulga hembra'.

Plurality in Infestations

Just like in English, when a pet has them, we almost always use the plural form 'pulgas' because where there is one, there are usually many!

Using 'Pulgoso' incorrectly

Mistake:calling a person 'pulgoso' to mean they are small.

Correction: Use 'pulgoso' only for animals that actually have fleas. For a small person, stick to 'pulga' or 'chiquito'.

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