el gato
masculine singular
The Spanish for the cat is el gato, said roughly "el GAH-toh". The noun gato is masculine and gata is feminine, and the plural is los gatos. It is also called la gata.
Meaning: the cat (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| el gato | masculine singular |
| la gata | feminine singular |
| los gatos | plural |
Use el gato for a male cat or for a cat in general. For a female cat, say la gata. A mixed group is los gatos.
How do you pronounce it?
The g in gato is a hard "g" as in "go", and the vowels are short and clean. The stress falls on ga.
When do people say it?
The Spanish word for a kitten is gatito and the word for a cat lover is amante de los gatos.
Did you know?
- The common phrase gato por liebre means being given something worse than promised, literally a cat in place of a hare.
Examples in context
- El gato duerme en el sofá.The cat sleeps on the sofa.
- La gata tiene cuatro gatitos.The female cat has four kittens.
- Los gatos son muy independientes.Cats are very independent.
Example conversation
Nora shows her friend Paco her new pet in her apartment in Sevilla.
- Paco¿Cómo se llama tu gato?What is your cat called?
- NoraEs una gata, se llama Luna.She is a female cat, her name is Luna.
- PacoQué bonita es la gata.What a pretty cat.
