Inklingo

How to Say "stray" in Spanish

The Spanish word forstrayis callejeroA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2
adjectiveA2
referring to animals living on the street
A friendly scruffy dog sitting on a cobblestone city sidewalk.

Examples

Adoptamos a un perro callejero que vivía en el parque.

We adopted a stray dog that lived in the park.

Me gusta mucho el arte callejero de este barrio.

I really like the street art in this neighborhood.

Los gatos callejeros suelen salir de noche.

Stray cats usually come out at night.

Matching the Noun

Since this is an adjective, it must change its ending to match the thing you are describing. Use 'callejero' for masculine things (perro) and 'callejera' for feminine things (gata).

Position Matters

Usually, 'callejero' comes after the noun it describes, just like most adjectives in Spanish (e.g., 'músico callejero').

Using 'callejero' for people

Mistake:Ese hombre es muy callejero (meaning he is homeless).

Correction: Use 'persona sin hogar' for a homeless person. Calling a person 'callejero' usually means they just love being out of the house, not that they don't have a home.

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