Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| césped | /ˈθesped/ /ˈsesped/ |
masculine |
| grama | /ˈɡɾama/ | Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, feminine |
| pasto | /ˈpasto/ | Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, masculine |
| zacate | /θaˈkate/ /saˈkate/ |
Costa Rica, Mexico, masculine |
All the terms provided are used to refer to a ground covered with grass or a lawn.
Which one should you use?
While all these forms mean lawn or grass, césped is the most neutral and widely understood term across all Spanish-speaking countries. In Mexico, the word jardín is often used to describe a garden that includes a lawn area.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term grama is the preferred way to say lawn or grass in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. In Costa Rica and Mexico, zacate is used to refer to grass or a lawn. The term pasto is used in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay. Grama is a feminine noun used in the Caribbean and Central American countries mentioned above, while pasto, césped and zacate are masculine.
How does it change in a sentence?
césped is a masculine noun and requires the masculine article el when used in the singular. grama is a feminine noun and requires the feminine article la when used in the singular.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈθesped/
Did you know?
- The word zacate used in Mexico and Costa Rica is actually a loanword from Classical Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
Examples in context
- Sal de mi césped.Get off my lawn.This sentence is useful for telling someone to get off your césped.Tatoeba #2040080 by marcelostockle, translation #1934830 by Spamster
- Odio cortar el césped.I hate mowing the lawn.This sentence is useful for expressing a dislike for mowing the césped.Tatoeba #3676939 by Seael, translation #2546832 by CK
- ¿Podría podar el pasto?Could you mow the lawn?This sentence is useful for asking someone to mow the pasto.Tatoeba #7975658 by helq, translation #6029182 by Huskion
- Tienes un hermoso césped en tu jardínYou have a beautiful lawn in your garden.
- Este pasto es ideal para climas cálidosThis grass is ideal for warm climates.
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are standing in their backyard.
- JavierElena, mira qué bonito está el césped.Elena, look how beautiful the lawn is.
- ElenaSí, Javier, se ve muy bien.Yes, Javier, it looks very good.
- Javier¿Quieres sentarte un momento en el césped?Do you want to sit on the lawn for a moment?
- ElenaNo, prefiero sentarme en la silla.No, I prefer to sit in the chair.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lawn” translations and entries césped, grama, pasto, zacate, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries césped, grama, pasto, zacate, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
