peatón
/peaˈton/masculine
The English word 'pedestrian' is translated into Spanish as peatón. Wiktionary also lists viandante.
Meaning: somebody walking rather than using a vehicle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| peatón | /peaˈton/ | masculine |
| viandante | /bjanˈdante/ | feminine, masculine |
A pedestrian is someone walking rather than using a vehicle. In a modern urban context, such as describing someone walking near traffic or on a street, use peatón. To describe things intended for pedestrians, such as a street or a zone, use the adjective peatonal.
Which one should you use?
While peatón refers to a pedestrian in a modern urban or traffic context, viandante is a more literary or poetic term for a traveler or wayfarer on foot.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine noun peatón changes to the feminine form peatona when referring to a female pedestrian.
How do you pronounce it?
/peaˈton/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the term zona peatonal is used for 'pedestrian zones', but the word peatón itself is almost never used to describe a boring or uninspired person, unlike the English 'pedestrian'.
- The Spanish word peatón is actually a French import. It was borrowed from the French word piéton, which comes from the verb piéter, meaning 'to go on foot'.
- The term viandante shares a root with the Spanish word vía, which describes a path and is also the ancestor of the English word 'via'.
Examples in context
- El chofer de bus no vio al peatón.The bus driver didn't see the pedestrian.This sentence shows how to use peatón when describing a person involved in a traffic situation.Tatoeba #2227280 by marcelostockle, translation #412794 by lunatic
- Un policía estaba observando a un peatón sospechoso.A policeman was gazing at a suspicious pedestrian.This sentence uses peatón to describe a person being observed by an official.Tatoeba #1207653 by marcelostockle, translation #238082 by CM
- Por favor, respete a los transeúntes en las áreas peatonalesPlease respect pedestrians in pedestrian zones
- Los conductores deben ceder el paso a los peatones en los cruces de peatonesDrivers must yield to pedestrians at crosswalks
- El peatón cruzó la calle con cuidado.The pedestrian crossed the street carefully.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are talking about traffic safety in the city.
- MateoMira, ese peatón está cruzando sin mirar.Look, that pedestrian is crossing without looking.
- SofíaEs muy peligroso caminar así por aquí.It is very dangerous to walk like that around here.
- MateoEspero que el conductor lo vea a tiempo.I hope the driver sees him in time.
- SofíaSí, los coches van muy rápido hoy.Yes, the cars are going very fast today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pedestrian” translations and entries peatón, viandante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries peatón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
