oso
/ˈoso/masculine
The Spanish word for bear is oso.
oso refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae. It can also be used as a slang term.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of oso is osos. If you are referring specifically to a female bear, use the feminine form osa.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈoso/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase meter la pata meaning 'to put your foot in it' is sometimes associated with the expression hacer un oso, which means to embarrass yourself or make a fool of yourself in public.
- While oso is the general term, the Spanish-speaking world has a specific name for the Andean bear, the oso de anteojos, which translates to 'spectacled bear' because of the markings around its eyes.
- The Spanish word oso shares an ancestor with the Latin word ursus, which is the root of the English word 'ursine'.
Examples in context
- Un oso lo mató.A bear killed him.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe an action involving an oso.Tatoeba #6864196 by albrusgher, translation #5937697 by mailohilohi
- ¿Es eso un oso?Is that a bear?This sentence is useful for asking a question about whether something is an oso.Tatoeba #6864206 by albrusgher, translation #6005628 by mailohilohi
- El oso es negro.The bear is black.This sentence is useful for describing a physical characteristic of an oso.Tatoeba #6864195 by albrusgher, translation #5894557 by captcrouton
- El oso es una criatura poderosaThe bear is a powerful creature
- El oso es un mamífero plantígradoThe bear is a plantigrade mammal
- ¡Mira ese osezno adorable!Look at that adorable bear cub!
- Mi hija adora a su osito de pelucheMy daughter loves her teddy bear
- ¡Mira el oso bebé!Look at the baby bear!
- 70 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- SofíaMira ese oso en la pantalla.Look at that bear on the screen.
- JavierEs un oso muy grande.It is a very large bear.
- Sofía¿Te dan miedo los osos?Are you afraid of bears?
- JavierNo, me gusta mucho ese oso.No, I really like that bear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries oso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries oso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
