manada
/maˈnada/feminine
The English word herd can be translated into Spanish as manada, rebaño or hato.
Meaning: any collection of animals gathered or travelling in a company (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| manada | /maˈnada/ | feminine |
| hato | /ˈato/ | masculine |
| rebaño | /reˈbaɲo/ | masculine |
All these words refer to a collection of animals gathered or travelling together. The phrase animal de rebaño is used to describe herd animals, which are animals that naturally live in groups such as sheep or cows.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends on the type of animals: use manada for wild animals or predators, such as wolves, elephants or giraffes. Use rebaño specifically for a herd of sheep or goats. Use hato specifically for a herd of cattle or livestock in certain Latin American contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, the term piara can be used to refer to a herd of pigs.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈnada/
Did you know?
- The word manada comes from mano, meaning 'hand'. It originally refers to a group of animals that could be managed by hand.
- While manada is used for wolves in Spanish, calling a group of humans a manada often implies a wild or primal nature.
- In some Spanish contexts, rebaño is used metaphorically in religious texts to describe a congregation of followers led by a pastor.
Examples in context
- Las vacas son animales de rebaño.Cows are herd animals.This sentence is useful for illustrating the term rebaño.Tatoeba #10198879 by Seael, translation #8656497 by Hybrid
- Esta manada de jirafas tiene catorce individuos.This giraffe herd has fourteen individuals.This sentence is useful for illustrating the term manada.Tatoeba #10198880 by Seael, translation #8552309 by Amastan
- La jirafa se reunió con su manada.The giraffe rejoined its herd.Tatoeba #12029190 by Amastan, translation #8546779 by Amastan
- En la granja hay un rebaño de vacasThere is a herd of cows on the farm
- El circo tiene una manada de elefantesThe circus has a herd of elephants
- Tienen una piara de cerdos en la granjaThey have a herd of pigs on the farm
- En la montaña, vimos un rebaño de cabras saltando de roca en roca.In the mountains, we saw a herd of goats jumping from rock to rock.
- En el safari, pudimos ver una manada de leones descansando bajo la sombra de los árboles.On the safari, we were able to see a herd of lions resting in the shade of the trees.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are on a safari tour.
- LucíaMira aquella manada de elefantes.Look at that herd of elephants.
- MateoSon muchísimos, Lucía.There are so many of them, Lucía.
- LucíaLa manada se mueve hacia el río.The herd is moving toward the river.
- MateoEs un espectáculo increíble, Mateo.It is an incredible sight, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “herd” translations and entries manada, hato, rebaño, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hato, manada, rebaño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
