búho nival
/buo nibal/from spelling rules
The English phrase "snow owl" is translated into Spanish as búho nival.
The phrase refers to a large white owl that lives in Arctic regions.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun búho (owl) and the adjective nival (snowy or of snow).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural "snow owls", both the noun and the adjective must take the plural suffix -s, resulting in búhos nivales. Because the noun búho is masculine, it must be preceded by the masculine article el rather than la.
Did you know?
- The word búho shares an ancient root with the Greek word boûphos, which was used to describe a deep or bellowing voice.
- If you describe a person as being un búho in Spanish, you are calling them a 'night owl', implying they are nocturnal or stay up very late.
- In certain parts of the Spanish-speaking world, you might hear people refer to the owl as lechuza instead of búho, though they are technically different species.
Examples in context
- La belleza del búho nival siempre me ha fascinado.The beauty of the snow owl has always fascinated me.
- El búho nival es muy hermoso.The snow owl is very beautiful.
- Vimos un búho nival en el documental.We saw a snow owl in the documentary.
- Ese búho nival vive en el Ártico.That snow owl lives in the Arctic.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are looking at a nature book in a library.
- Daniel¿Qué es este animal, Sofía?What is this animal, Sofía?
- SofíaEs un búho nival.It is a snow owl.
- DanielEs increíblemente blanco.It is incredibly white.
- SofíaSí, es un búho nival muy especial.Yes, it is a very special snow owl.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries búho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
