Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pasto | /ˈpasto/ | masculine |
| hierba | /ˈʝeɾba/ /ˈjeɾba/ |
feminine |
| grama | /ˈɡɾama/ | feminine |
| zacate | /θaˈkate/ /saˈkate/ |
masculine |
| gasón | /ɡaˈson/ | masculine |
| gramilla | /ɡɾaˈmiʝa/ /ɡɾaˈmiʎa/ /ɡɾaˈmiʃa/ /ɡɾaˈmiʒa/ /ɡɾaˈmia/ |
feminine |
| césped | /ˈθesped/ /ˈsesped/ |
masculine |
| céspede | /ˈθespede/ /ˈsespede/ |
masculine, alternative form |
The term you choose for grass depends on whether you are referring to general vegetation, a managed lawn or a specific regional term. While hierba is a general term, it also encompasses the meanings of herb or weed.
Which one should you use?
Césped is the specific term for grass found on lawns, in gardens or on sports fields. In contrast, hierba is a more general term that can also mean an herb or a weed. While pasto refers to grass in general, césped is used when the context is a managed landscape.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Paraguay, pasto is the common term for grass in general. In Mexico and certain Central American countries, zacate is used to describe grass in informal conversation. Other regional forms include grama, gasón and gramilla.
How does it change in a sentence?
Pasto and zacate are masculine nouns, while hierba, grama and gramilla are feminine. Césped is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈʝeɾba/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word hierba is used as a slang term for marijuana, similar to the English word 'weed'.
- The word zacate is a linguistic traveler from the Nahuatl language, specifically from the word zacatl which refers to dry weeds or forage.
- In Spanish, the word for grass used when talking about livestock, pasto, is a linguistic relative of the English word 'pasture'.
Examples in context
- No pise el pasto.Keep off the grass.This sentence is useful for telling someone to stay off the grass using pasto.Tatoeba #1280025 by marcelostockle, translation #265288 by CK
- El pasto es verde.The grass is green.This sentence is useful for describing the color of the grass using pasto.Tatoeba #5040809 by don_ramon, translation #4308361 by Wuzzy
- Las vacas comen pasto.Cows eat grass.This sentence is useful for describing what cows eat using pasto.Tatoeba #1307645 by marcelostockle, translation #684708 by notrwanda
- La hierba del jardín es muy verde.The grass in the garden is very green.
- Los animales comen pasto en el campo.The animals eat grass in the field.
- 90 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are gardening in the backyard.
- ElenaHay mucha hierba en el jardín.There is a lot of grass in the garden.
- DanielSí, Daniel necesita cortar la hierba.Yes, Daniel needs to cut the grass.
- Elena¿Dónde está la máquina para la hierba?Where is the machine for the grass?
- DanielEstá detrás de la casa, Elena.It is behind the house, Elena.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grass” translations and entries pasto, hierba, grama, zacate, gasón, gramilla, césped, céspede, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grama, hierba, pasto, zacate, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
