ballena
/baˈʝena/feminine
The English phrase whale translates to Spanish as ballena.
ballena is a feminine noun used to refer to a large sea mammal.
Meaning: large sea mammal (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, locals commonly use the word yubarta to refer to a humpback whale.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ballena is ballenas.
How do you pronounce it?
/baˈʝena/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, ballena is also the word for the flexible strip of steel or plastic used to stiffen a corset.
- In Spain, the term ballena can also colloquially refer to a large, cumbersome bus or a very large person.
- The word ballena comes from the Ancient Greek word phállaina.
Examples in context
- La ballena es un mamífero.A whale is a mammal.This sentence is useful for stating that a ballena is a mammal.Tatoeba #5617963 by cueyayotl, translation #238461 by CK
- Hoy vi la cola de una ballena.I saw a whale tail today.This sentence is useful for describing seeing the tail of a ballena.Tatoeba #1704837 by marcelostockle, translation #1702750 by Spamster
- ¿Está mal comer carne de ballena?Is eating whale meat wrong?This sentence is useful for asking about the morality of eating ballena meat.Tatoeba #1173644 by Shishir, translation #954007 by CK
- Me encanta observar las ballenas en su hábitat natural.I love observing whales in their natural habitat.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are watching a documentary about the ocean.
- Lucía¡Mira esa ballena tan grande!Look at that huge whale!
- DanielEs impresionante ver a la ballena de cerca.It is impressive to see the whale up close.
- LucíaEs la ballena más bonita que he visto.It is the most beautiful whale I have seen.
- DanielSí, Lucía, es un animal increíble.Yes, Lucía, it is an incredible animal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “whale” translations and entries ballena, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ballena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
