rabia
/ˈrabja/feminine
The English word "rabies" is translated into Spanish as rabia.
rabia refers to the viral disease. However, the colloquial phrase tener rabia is used idiomatically to mean being very angry or feeling resentment, rather than referring to the virus.
Meaning: viral disease (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the medical disease, rabia is a feminine noun and is typically preceded by the definite article la.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈrabja/
Did you know?
- In some regions, saying qué rabia is a standard exclamation similar to saying 'how frustrating' or 'what a shame' in English.
- The Latin root of rabia specifically refers to 'raving' or 'madness', which links the physical symptoms of the disease to the emotional state of anger.
- In a medical context, a person suffering from the disease is often described as hidrofóbico, reflecting the 'hydrophobia' symptom associated with rabia.
Examples in context
- Una ardilla le contagió la rabia a mi hija.A squirrel transmitted rabies to my daughter.This sentence is useful for seeing how a squirrel can transmit rabia.Tatoeba #1235131 by marcelostockle, translation #1235136 by marcelostockle
- A Sophie le gustaban los animales: ya había tenido un pollo, una ardilla, un gato y un burro. Su madre no quería regalarle un perro por miedo a que cogiera la rabia, lo cual pasa con bastante frecuencia.Sophie liked animals. She already had a chicken, a squirrel, a cat and a donkey. Her mother didn't want to get her a dog because she was scared it'd catch rabies, which happened often.This sentence illustrates a mother's fear regarding a child catching rabia from a pet.Tatoeba #2177122 by Shishir, translation #10367256 by DJ_Saidez
- El perro está infectado con rabiaThe dog is infected with rabies
- La hidrofobia es una de las características de la rabiaHydrophobia is one of the characteristics of rabies
- Ese perro está loco, ¡puede tener la rabia!That dog is crazy, it might have rabies!
- Hay que vacunar a los perros contra la rabia.Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking about a stray dog in their neighborhood.
- MateoVi un perro callejero cerca del parque.I saw a stray dog near the park.
- María¿No tiene la vacuna contra la rabia?Does he not have the rabies vaccine?
- MateoNo lo sé, pero parece muy enfermo.I don't know, but he looks very sick.
- MaríaDeberíamos llamar al veterinario de inmediato.We should call the veterinarian immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rabies” translations and entries rabia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
