pollito
/poˈʝito/
The English phrase "baby chick" is translated into Spanish as pollito.
The term refers to a young chicken that has recently hatched from an egg.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from pollo (chicken) and the diminutive suffix -ito (little/baby).
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate the plural form pollitos, add -s to the end of the word. If the gender of the chick is known to be female, you can use the feminine form pollita.
How do you pronounce it?
/poˈʝito/
Did you know?
- In certain Caribbean dialects, the word pollito can be used to describe someone who is naive or easily fooled, similar to the English 'greenhorn'.
- The root word pollo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'poultry', both tracing back to the Latin 'pullus' which originally meant a young animal or chick.
- The word pollito is central to one of the most famous children's songs in the Spanish-speaking world, Los Pollitos Dicen, which is taught to almost every toddler.
Examples in context
- En la granja, pude ver muchos pollitos recién nacidos.At the farm, I could see many newly hatched baby chicks.
- Había muchos polluelos corriendo por el corral.There were many baby chicks running around the coop.
- El pajarito amarillo era un polluelo encantador.The yellow little bird was a charming baby chick.
- El pollito es muy amarillo.The baby chick is very yellow.
- Mira ese pollito en la granja.Look at that baby chick on the farm.
- Un pollito acaba de nacer.A baby chick has just hatched.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are visiting a farm.
- Daniel¿Viste el pollito pequeño?Did you see the small baby chick?
- LucíaSí, es muy bonito, Daniel.Yes, it is very cute, Daniel.
- DanielTiene mucha hambre.He is very hungry.
- LucíaVamos a darle comida.Let's give him some food.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pollito, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pollito, CC BY-SA 4.0.
