mascotas
/maskotas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "pets" is translated into Spanish as mascotas.
Mascotas is the most common and widely accepted term for pets in Spanish. It is used to refer to domestic animals such as a perro (dog), gato (cat), pájaro (bird), conejo (rabbit), tortuga (turtle) or loro (parrot). If you are referring specifically to a female dog, use perra instead of perro. You can also use the diminutive animalitos to refer to pets affectionately.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the phrase animales de compañía is favored. In Mexico, mascotas remains the most common term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of the word is mascota and the plural is mascotas.
How do you pronounce it?
/maskotas/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use mascotas to mean "mascots" in a sports context. In Spanish, mascotas refers specifically to domestic animals.
Did you know?
- While mascotas means 'pets' in Spanish, the English word 'mascot' actually derives from the Spanish word mascota, which originally referred to an amulet or a charm for good luck.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, people often refer to their pets as 'mi hijo' (my son) or 'mi hija' (my daughter) to show how much they are loved.
- In some regions, the word 'bichos' is used as a very informal, slightly humorous way to refer to pets, especially insects or small reptiles.
Examples in context
- No se permiten mascotas.No pets allowed.This sentence is useful for seeing how to say pets are not allowed.Tatoeba #5048649 by don_ramon, translation #33955 by Eldad
- Sami mató a las mascotas de Layla.Sami killed Layla's pets.This sentence is useful for describing an action involving the pets of a person named Layla.Tatoeba #13678150 by Seael, translation #6810564 by OsoHombre
- Las mascotas pueden llegar a ser muy caras.Pets can be very expensive.This sentence is useful for stating that pets can be expensive.Tatoeba #6403846 by ZetKPL, translation #5851211 by CK
- Me encantan las mascotas, especialmente los perros y gatos.I love pets, especially dogs and cats.
- Los animales de compañía juegan un papel importante en la salud mental y emocional de las personas.Companion animals play a vital role in people's mental and emotional well-being.
- Tengo una mascota muy linda, se llama Lola.I have a very cute pet, her name is Lola.
- Mis animalitos son los mejores compañeros que podría tener.My little animals are the best companions I could have.
- ¡Vamos al parque con nuestras mascotas!Let's go to the park with our pets!
- Mi perro, Max, es muy juguetón y le encanta pasear por el parque.My dog, Max, is very playful and loves to walk in the park.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are talking about their apartment search.
- LucíaEste apartamento acepta mascotas.This apartment accepts pets.
- Daniel¡Qué bien! Tenemos dos gatos.That's great! We have two cats.
- LucíaYo también quiero tener mascotas.I want to have pets too.
- DanielEntonces este lugar es perfecto.Then this place is perfect.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
