branquias
/bɾankjas/from spelling rules
The English word "gills" is translated into Spanish as branquias.
The term refers to the biological organs used by fish and other aquatic animals to extract oxygen from water.
Which one should you use?
branquias is the most common term for these biological organs. However, you may also see agallas used as a common synonym when referring to the gills of a fish.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the word is branquia.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɾankjas/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word agallas is used in the phrase tener agallas, which is the direct cultural equivalent to the English expression 'to have guts'.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, agallas is used colloquially to refer to the throat or the area just under the jaw instead of the internal respiratory organ.
- A distinction exists between the laboratory and the kitchen. You will find branquias in a biology textbook, but if you are at a fish market, you will hear the word agallas used to describe the fish being prepared.
Examples in context
- Los peces tienen branquias y aletas.Fish have gills and fins.This sentence is useful for stating that fish have both branquias and fins.Tatoeba #4755323 by DarkHollow, translation #4423521 by shekitten
- Los tiburones tienen más branquias que el resto de los peces.Sharks have more gills than any other fish.This sentence is useful for comparing the amount of branquias in sharks to other fish.Tatoeba #10359962 by saverius, translation #12890773 by araneo
- Los peces respiran a través de sus branquias.Fish breathe through their gills.
- Ella es valiente, tiene agallas para enfrentar cualquier desafío.She is brave, she has the guts to face any challenge.
- Las láminas branquiales proporcionan una amplia superficie para el intercambio de gases.The gill lamellae provide a large surface area for gas exchange.
- El niño dibujó unas agallitas en su dibujo de un pez.The child drew some gills in his drawing of a fish.
- Las branquias son esenciales para la respiración acuática.Gills are essential for aquatic respiration.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are looking at a fish in an aquarium.
- MateoMira cómo se mueven sus branquias.Look at how its gills are moving.
- MaríaEs fascinante ver cómo respira el pez.It is fascinating to see how the fish breathes.
- Mateo¿Sabes si todas las especies tienen branquias iguales?Do you know if all species have the same gills?
- MaríaNo estoy segura, pero creo que varían mucho.I'm not sure, but I think they vary a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
