How to Say "grass" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “grass” is “hierba” — use 'hierba' for grass in a general sense, like a lawn or a field, or even for individual blades of grass.
hierba
YAIR-bahˈjeɾ.βa
Examples
Necesito cortar la hierba del jardín este fin de semana.
I need to cut the grass in the garden this weekend.
Nos sentamos en la hierba para hacer un picnic.
We sat on the grass to have a picnic.
Always Feminine
Even though 'hierba' starts with the sound 'ye-' (a strong vowel sound), it does not take the masculine article 'el' like some other feminine nouns (e.g., el agua). It is always 'la hierba'.
Using the wrong article
Mistake: “El hierba es verde.”
Correction: La hierba es verde. (The grass is green.)
pasto
PAHS-tohˈpasto
Examples
El pasto es muy verde en primavera.
The grass is very green in spring.
Tengo que cortar el pasto este fin de semana.
I have to mow the lawn this weekend.
No camines por el pasto, está mojado.
Don't walk on the grass; it's wet.
Using 'el' with Pasto
Even though 'pasto' can refer to grass in general, we almost always use the word 'el' (the) before it when talking about a specific lawn or area.
Countable vs. Uncountable
Unlike English where you might say 'some grass,' in Spanish, 'el pasto' behaves more like a single object (the lawn).
Pasto vs. Pasta
Mistake: “Quiero comer pasto.”
Correction: Quiero comer pasta.
césped
Examples
El niño corrió descalzo sobre el césped recién cortado.
The child ran barefoot over the freshly cut grass.
Choosing between 'hierba' and 'césped'
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