dinosaurio
/dinoˈsauɾjo/masculine
The Spanish word for dinosaur is dinosaurio.
The word dinosaurio refers to a prehistoric reptile. Just like in English, it can also be used metaphorically to describe an outdated object or an old-fashioned person.
Meaning: prehistoric reptile (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of dinosaurio is dinosaurios.
How do you pronounce it?
/dinoˈsauɾjo/
Did you know?
- Spanish speakers often use the diminutive dinosito to refer to toy dinosaurs or to make the creature sound less threatening to children.
- While English speakers say 'dinosaur', Spanish speakers use a word that literally translates to 'terrible lizard' due to the combination of 'deinos' and 'sauros'.
- The word dinosaurio is exclusively masculine, so even a female dinosaur is referred to as el dinosaurio unless a specific gender qualifier is added.
Examples in context
- ¡Era de veras un dinosaurio!It was a dinosaur, for real!This sentence uses dinosaurio to emphasize that something was truly a dinosaur.Tatoeba #523816 by hayastan, translation #9795605 by DJ_Saidez
- ¡Él era un dinosaurio de verdad!He was a true dinosaur!This sentence uses dinosaurio to describe someone as a true dinosaur.Tatoeba #866698 by manufrutos, translation #1335881 by Scotland
- Mi dinosaurio mascota te va a comer.My pet dinosaur is gonna eat you.This sentence uses dinosaurio in the context of a pet.Tatoeba #9463741 by ignacio, translation #3139673 by DJ_Saidez
- El dinosaurio fue una criatura fascinante que vivió en la era mesozoica.The dinosaur was a fascinating creature that lived during the Mesozoic era.
- El dino que vimos en el museo era enorme.The dino we saw in the museum was enormous.
- Los dinosaurios habitaron la Tierra hace millones de años.Dinosaurs inhabited the Earth millions of years ago.
- Ana ama los libros sobre dinosaurios.Ana loves books about dinosaurs.
- El niño quedó fascinado con el esqueleto de un dinosaurio.The child was fascinated by the dinosaur skeleton.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are looking at a book about animals.
- SofíaMira este dinosaurio tan grande.Look at this huge dinosaur.
- MateoSe ve muy fuerte y peligroso.It looks very strong and dangerous.
- Sofía¿Cuál es tu dinosaurio favorito, Mateo?Which is your favorite dinosaur, Mateo?
- MateoMe gusta mucho el Triceratops.I really like the Triceratops.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinosaur” translations and entries dinosaurio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
