perrito de la pradera
/perito de la pɾadeɾa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "prairie dog" is perrito de la pradera in Spanish.
This term refers to the burrowing rodent.
Meaning: burrowing rodent (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of perrito (little dog), de (of), la (the) and pradera (prairie).
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a female prairie dog, change the masculine perrito to the feminine perrita to get perrita de la pradera. To form the plural, change the noun to perritos while the article remains part of the fixed phrase, resulting in perritos de la pradera.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, referring to a wild animal as a perrito is an example of using anthropomorphism to make a creature seem more approachable or friendly.
- The word pradera is related to the word prado, which means 'meadow'. The suffix -era is used here to describe a specific type of landscape or territory.
- The term perrito uses the diminutive suffix -ito, which transforms the word 'dog' into 'little dog'. In Spanish, this is often used not just for size but to express affection or cuteness.
Examples in context
- El perrito de la pradera es un roedor que vive en las grandes praderas de América del Norte.The prairie dog is a rodent that lives in the great prairies of North America.
- Vi un perrito de la pradera en el documental.I saw a prairie dog in the documentary.
- El perrito de la pradera vive en madrigueras.The prairie dog lives in burrows.
- Ese perrito de la pradera es muy pequeño.That prairie dog is very small.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are watching a nature show on TV.
- Javier¡Mira, un perrito de la pradera!Look, a prairie dog!
- LucíaEs muy bonito, Javier.It is very cute, Javier.
- Javier¿Es un animal muy rápido?Is it a very fast animal?
- LucíaNo, pero es muy ágil.No, but it is very agile.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, la, perrito, pradera, CC BY-SA 4.0.
