gallina
informal, coward
In slang gallina (hen) means a coward, just like "chicken" in English. Pollo is the normal word for the bird or the meat.
Meaning: chicken or a coward (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| gallina | informal, coward |
| pollo | neutral |
You can say Eres un gallina or Eres una gallina to a scared person. The word can be used for both men and women.
Which one should you use?
In everyday talk pollo is food, while gallina is the animal and the insult.
Did you know?
- The game gallinita ciega is the Spanish version of blind man's buff.
Examples in context
- No seas gallina, salta al agua.Do not be chicken, jump in the water.
- Pedí pollo con arroz.I ordered chicken with rice.
- Se hizo el gallina y no vino.He chickened out and did not come.
Example conversation
Tomás and his friend Beni stand at the edge of a pool in Lima.
- TomásSalta ya, no seas gallina.Jump now, do not be chicken.
- BeniEs que el agua está helada.It is just that the water is freezing.
- TomásUno, dos, tres.One, two, three.
