gato atigrado
/ɡato atiɡɾado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "tabby cat" is translated into Spanish as gato atigrado.
This phrase is used to describe a domestic cat with a distinctive coat of stripes or spots. You can also use the alternative description gato con rayas to mean a cat with stripes.
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective atigrado is derived from tigre (tiger), and literally means "tiger-like" or "striped like a tiger."
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a female tabby cat, use gata atigrada. To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the -s ending, resulting in gatos atigrados. You can further describe specific patterns, such as un gato atigrado con manchas for a tabby cat with spots or un gato atigrado de patrón marmolado for a tabby cat with a marbled pattern.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡato atiɡɾado/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word gato can refer to a cat, but it is also the word for a 'car jack' used to lift vehicles.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the word gato is used in the phrase dar gato por liebre, which means to deceive someone by providing something of lower quality than promised.
- Depending on the context, the word gato can refer to a cake. This happens because Spanish borrowed the word from the French gâteau.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola, mi pequeño minino atigrado!Hello, my little striped kitty!
- Mira ese gatito rayado tan lindo.Look at that cute little striped kitten.
- Mi gato es atigrado.My cat is a tabby.
- Ese gato atigrado es muy bonito.That tabby cat is very pretty.
- Vi un gato atigrado en el jardín.I saw a tabby cat in the garden.
- Mi gato atigrado duerme en el sofá.My tabby cat sleeps on the sofa.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are looking at a photo on a phone.
- Mateo¿Es ese tu gato atigrado?Is that your tabby cat?
- LucíaSí, es un gato atigrado muy juguetón.Yes, he is a very playful tabby cat.
- MateoMe encanta su color.I love his color.
- LucíaGracias, Mateo.Thanks, Mateo.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry gato atigrado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atigrado, gato, CC BY-SA 4.0.
