fauna silvestre
/fauna silbestɾe/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'wildlife' is translated into Spanish as fauna silvestre.
The term fauna silvestre is used to specifically refer to wildlife in its natural or wild state. While fauna is a common and general term for wildlife in Spanish, adding the adjective specifies the wild nature of the animals.
Meaning: animals in their natural environment (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of fauna, which refers to the animal life of a region and silvestre, meaning wild or living in the wild.
Which one should you use?
Fauna silvestre refers specifically to animal wildlife, whereas flora silvestre is the term used to refer to wild plant life. While vida silvestre is a common alternative for 'wildlife', fauna silvestre is more frequently used in scientific or formal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase fauna silvestre is a singular noun phrase in Spanish, even though it refers to many different animals.
How do you pronounce it?
/fauna silbestɾe/
Did you know?
- The word fauna comes from the name of the Roman god Faunus, who was the deity of forests, plains, and wild animals.
- The adjective silvestre shares its roots with the English word 'forest' through the Latin word silva, which means 'wood' or 'forest'.
- Spanish has a specific distinction between animales salvajes, which describes animals with a wild temperament, and fauna silvestre, which describes the biological category of wildlife.
Examples in context
- La fauna de Costa Rica es abundante y diversaThe wildlife in Costa Rica is abundant and diverse
- Es crucial proteger la fauna silvestre de la región amazónicaIt is crucial to protect the wildlife in the Amazon region
- La vida silvestre marina en el Golfo de México es impresionanteThe marine wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico is impressive
- ¡Mira todos estos bichos en el jardín!Look at all these critters in the garden!
- Hay muchos animales salvajes en este bosqueThere are many wild animals in this forest
- El lago está rodeado de hermosa fauna autóctonaThe lake is surrounded by beautiful native wildlife
- Una criatura silvestreA wild creature
- Fauna salvajeWild fauna
- TigreTiger
- ColibríHummingbird
- La fauna de África incluye leones, guepardos y elefantesThe wildlife of Africa includes lions, cheetahs, and elephants
- Debemos proteger la fauna silvestre de esta región.We must protect the wildlife of this region.
- Es difícil observar la fauna silvestre sin binoculares.It is difficult to observe wildlife without binoculars.
- La fauna silvestre de la selva es asombrosa.The wildlife of the jungle is amazing.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are looking at a nature documentary.
- Lucía¿Te gusta este documental sobre la fauna silvestre?Do you like this documentary about wildlife?
- DanielSí, la fauna silvestre es realmente fascinante.Yes, wildlife is truly fascinating.
- LucíaDaniel, mira cuántos animales hay en la pantalla.Daniel, look how many animals are on the screen.
- DanielEs impresionante la variedad que tiene este ecosistema.The variety in this ecosystem is impressive.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fauna, silvestre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
