tres cerditos
/tɾes θeɾditos/from spelling rules
tres cerditos is the Spanish way to say "three little pigs".
This phrase refers to the title of the traditional children's fairy tale about three pigs who build houses.
What does it mean word for word?
The word cerditos is the diminutive form of cerdos (pigs), which translates to "little pigs".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the standard phrase, the adjective for "little" is omitted because the diminutive suffix -itos already conveys that meaning. When you are referring specifically to the characters of the story, the definite article los is typically used, resulting in los tres cerditos.
How do you pronounce it?
/tɾes θeɾditos/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish versions of the tale, the wolf is called el lobo feroz, which translates to 'the fierce wolf'. This specific epithet is more common in Spanish than simply calling him 'the big bad wolf'.
- The diminutive suffix -itos in cerditos does not always mean 'small' in size. In Spanish, this ending is frequently used to express affection or endearment toward the subject.
- In certain Latin American countries, cerdo can occasionally be used as a vulgar insult to describe someone who is contemptible.
Examples in context
- Les conté la historia de los tres cerditos.I told them the story of the three little pigs.This sentence is useful for showing how to use tres cerditos when talking about telling the story.Tatoeba #2656642 by Shishir, translation #2656621 by Joseph
- A los niños les encanta el cuento de los tres cerditos.The children love the story of the three little pigs.
- Compré un libro de los tres cerditos para mi hijo.I bought a book of the three little pigs for my son.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are choosing a bedtime story for a child.
- LucíaBusquemos un cuento corto para hoy.Let's look for a short story for today.
- MateoPodemos leer la historia de los tres cerditos.We could read the story of the three little pigs.
- LucíaEs una idea excelente, Mateo.That is an excellent idea, Mateo.
- MateoLo buscaré en la estantería.I will look for it on the bookshelf.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
