derechos de los animales
/deˌɾet͡ʃos de los aniˈmales/masculine, plural
The English phrase "animal rights" is translated into Spanish as derechos de los animales. Wiktionary also lists derechos animales and animalista.
Meaning: fundamental rights for animals (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| derechos de los animales | /deˌɾet͡ʃos de los aniˈmales/ | masculine, plural |
| derechos animales | /deɾet͡ʃos animales/ (from spelling rules) | masculine, plural |
| animalista | /animaˈlista/ | adjective |
The term refers to the fundamental rights for animals.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase derechos de los animales literally translates to "rights of the animals".
Which one should you use?
derechos de los animales is the most common way to express the concept, whereas derechos animales is a more concise, slightly more technical or journalistic variation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word animalista can be used as an adjective to describe something related to animal rights or as a noun to refer to an animal rights activist.
How do you pronounce it?
/deˌɾetʃos de los aniˈmales/
Did you know?
- The noun derechos comes from the same Latin root as the English word 'direct', as both relate to the idea of being 'straight' or 'right'.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the word animalista is used not just for activists, but also for people who run shelters or rescue stray pets.
- The word animal comes from the Latin anima, meaning 'breath' or 'soul'.
Examples in context
- Los derechos de los animales deben ser protegidos por la ley.Animal rights should be protected by the law.
- La defensa de los derechos de los animales es una tarea importante para nuestra sociedad.The defense of animal rights is an important task for our society.
- La lucha por los derechos de los animales es importante.The struggle for animal rights is important.
- Debemos proteger los derechos de los animales.We must protect animal rights.
- Ella defiende los derechos de los animales en la escuela.She defends animal rights at school.
- Hay muchas leyes sobre los derechos de los animales.There are many laws about animal rights.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are discussing a documentary about nature.
- MaríaEste documental habla sobre los derechos de los animales.This documentary talks about animal rights.
- DanielEs un tema muy importante, María.It is a very important topic, María.
- MaríaSí, todos los seres vivos merecen respeto.Yes, all living beings deserve respect.
- DanielEstoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo.I totally agree with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “animal rights” translations and entries derechos de los animales, animalista, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries animalista, de, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
