macho y hembra
/mat͡ʃo i embɾa/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "male and female" is macho y hembra.
This phrase is used to describe the biological sex of animals in both scientific and general contexts.
Which one should you use?
Use macho y hembra when referring to animals. However, when referring to the sex of humans, you should use hombre y mujer (man and woman) instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase macho y hembra is used in the singular to refer to one male and one female of a species. To refer to multiple males and females, both nouns must be pluralized to machos y hembras.
How do you pronounce it?
/matʃo i embɾa/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, calling a man a macho can imply a sense of aggressive or overly dominant masculinity rather than just his biological sex.
- The word hembra is etymologically linked to the act of nursing, derived from an ancient root meaning 'one who suckles'.
- While macho y hembra is the standard for animals, using it to describe humans can be perceived as highly insulting or dehumanizing in many Spanish-speaking cultures.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are visiting a bird sanctuary.
- Sofía¿Son esos pájaros macho y hembra?Are those birds male and female?
- MateoSí, son una pareja joven.Yes, they are a young couple.
- SofíaTienen colores muy diferentes.They have very different colors.
- MateoEs normal en esta especie.It is normal in this species.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hembra, macho, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
