gato macho
/ɡato mat͡ʃo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "male cat" is translated into Spanish as gato macho.
The phrase is used to specify that a cat is of the male sex. In the slang of Argentina, the word gato is also used to refer to a person.
Which one should you use?
While gato macho refers to a male cat, you would change the noun to the feminine form gata to specify a female cat.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, gato is used as a slang term for a person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡato matʃo/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, the word gato is a false friend and actually refers to a 'cake', borrowed from the French word gâteau.
- Beyond animals, the word gato is used in Spanish to describe a 'car jack' used for lifting vehicles.
- In Spanish, the word macho is a general noun used to specify the male of any animal species, not just cats.
Examples in context
- Vi a un hermoso gato macho en el parque hoy.I saw a beautiful male cat in the park today.
- ¡Mi vecino acaba de adoptar un gato y es muy juguetón!My neighbor just adopted a cat and it's quite playful!
- Tengo un gato macho.I have a male cat.
- El gato macho es muy grande.The male cat is very big.
- ¿Es un gato macho o una gata?Is it a male cat or a female cat?
Example conversation
María and Mateo are looking at a photo of a pet.
- María¿Es un gato macho?Is it a male cat?
- MateoSí, es un gato macho muy juguetón.Yes, it is a very playful male cat.
- MaríaEs muy bonito.He is very cute.
- MateoGracias, María.Thanks, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gato, macho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
