![]() ![]() Monkey (el Mono) – When the Spanish listen to the sounds of these cheeky simians, they hear “i-i-i.” The animal sounds of screeching monkeys, or the verb chillar, is also commonly used when describing a human shouting and attempting to make similar noises to animal sounds in Spanish when they yell, scream and shout. ![]() The Delightful Doveĭove (Palloma) – Where in English we have coo the Spanish have the far more evocative and one of the more beautiful animal sounds in Spanish, “cu-curru-cu-cú.” Popular in love songs, the Spanish verb arrullar means to talk to someone in a soft, gentle, and loving way, much like when the English coo about someone they fancy. The Iberian version of meow is “ miau.” Although to purr is ronronear, to hiss is bufar or fufar and to make an almighty caterwaul is marramizar, so there are some differences in how this Spanish animal sounds in Spanish. Ladrar, the Spanish verb to bark, is often used when describing a blusterer – all talk and no trousers, as it were.Ĭat (El Gato) – It seems that our feline friends make similar noises in English and Spanish. Domesticated Petsĭog (El Perro) – So, what about man’s best friend? In Spanish, these huggable hounds make a “ guau” sound rather than the typical English bark, woof, or bow wow. Horse (El Caballo) – To the Spanish ear, the whinny or neigh of these four-legged flowing-maned farm animals is “iiiou.” The verb relinchar can also mean to make a snorting sound like some people do when they laugh, which can make them sound like they are making their very own Spanish animal sounds. The Croaking Frogsįrog (La Rana) – Similar to the English croak, a Spanish frog will pop its head out in the early evening to sing “croá, croá.” The verb croar is often used to describe someone with a rana in their throat or someone who is sounding a bit hoarse. Zumbar, the verb form, means to whack – something one should never do to a bee. However, the verb form of to sound like a duck is graznar, a term often used to describe a person who talks a load of noisesome babble.īee (La Abeja) – As they do the world over, bees in Spain make a buzzzzzzing sound. The Birds And The Beesīird (Pájaro) – Where we might say tweet-tweet, the Spanish refer to the generic noise a bird makes as pío with the stress on the first syllable PEE-oh.ĭuck (Pato) – The sound this waddling water bird makes in Spanish is “cuac cuac”, so similar to the English quack. When directed at a human subject, the word suggests that they are bragging about something or other. To the Spanish ear, this sound translates as one of my favorite animal sounds in Spanish, which is “quiquiriquí, kikirikí.” The Spanish verb form of the phonetic is cacarear. Rooster (El Gallo) – In English, the cry of the rooster is cock-a-doodle-do. A bit like Eeyore, really! The Quirky Rooster In Spanish, the sound is a similar “iii-ahh.” The donkey’s bray, l os burros rebuznan uses the noun rebuznar, a term often aimed at someone who complains about something for no good reason. The Braying Burroĭonkey (Burro) – Christopher Robin’s eternally depressed chum Eeyore is given his name because it is the phonetic spelling of the English sound of a donkey’s bray – hee haw. So, let’s dive in and take a peek at animal noises and sounds in Spanish and how they can indirectly add to your understanding of the bigger picture. Animal Sounds In Spanish Are A Bit Different Doolittle did have his work cut out trying to learn not only the languages of all the different animals but their varied and diverse dialects. As in any language, there may be some dialectic differences and regional variations when it comes to the different animal sounds in Spanish that our furry and feathered friends emit. However, there are also some lovely surprises that make one realize that Dr. Many of the animals‘ sounds in Spanish are similar to their English equivalent because the onomatopoeia, or nomatopeya, in Spanish or any language is pretty universal. In fact, it can be extremely useful for learning how to pronounce tricky vowels and consonant sounds in any new language. Yet learning animal sounds in Spanish, or indeed any language is not just for small people. It is highly likely that, as a toddler, some version of the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” bounced around inside your head and, as you sang it repeatedly, bounced around the heads of all those in your vicinity. ![]()
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