gallo
everyday
A rooster in Mexican Spanish is a gallo, a masculine noun. The hen is a gallina and a baby chick is a pollito.
The crowing sound is el canto del gallo, and farm sayings often refer to waking up al canto del gallo, at dawn. A fighting rooster is a gallo de pelea.
Meaning: the male chicken (noun)
When do people say it?
The rooster appears on Mexican Lotería cards, where El gallo is the first card in the traditional deck.
Did you know?
- In the Mexican Lotería game, El gallo is card number one, and the caller sings a short rhyme for it.
Examples in context
- El gallo canta muy temprano.The rooster crows very early.
- Mi abuelo tiene gallos y gallinas.My grandfather has roosters and hens.
Example conversation
Tía Lupe wakes her niece Camila at a ranch in Jalisco.
- Tía LupeCamila, ya cantó el gallo.Camila, the rooster already crowed.
- CamilaCinco minutos más, tía.Five more minutes, aunt.
- Tía LupeNo, hay que dar de comer a las gallinas.No, we have to feed the hens.
