cobarde
/koˈbaɾde/
The English phrase 'yellow belly' can be translated into Spanish as cobarde.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the word plural, you add -s to form cobardes. The noun form of the adjective is cobardía, which means 'cowardice'.
How do you pronounce it?
/koˈbaɾde/
Did you know?
- While cobarde is a direct translation, Spanish speakers often use the phrase no tener huevos to call someone a 'yellow belly'. It literally means 'to not have eggs' and refers to a lack of courage.
- While 'yellow belly' describes a person in English, calling someone a gallina (hen) is a much more common way to call them a coward in Spain.
- To say someone is 'acting like a coward', you might say they are haciéndose el valiente to mask their true nature, which is the literal opposite.
Examples in context
- El capitán del equipo rival es un cobarde.The captain of the opposing team is a yellow belly.
- No puedes permitir que te llamen cobarde constantemente.You can't allow them to call you a yellow belly all the time.
- No seas gallina, ¡atrévete a intentarlo!Don't be a yellow belly, dare to give it a try!
- No seas un cobarde.Don't be a coward.
- Ese hombre es un cobarde.That man is a coward.
- Me llamó cobarde ayer.He called me a coward yesterday.
Example conversation
Mateo and Maria are looking at a high diving board.
- MateoNo quiero saltar, está muy alto.I don't want to jump, it's too high.
- MaríaNo seas cobarde, Mateo.Don't be a yellow belly, Mateo.
- MateoTú hazlo primero entonces.You do it first then.
- MaríaEstá bien, mira cómo se hace.Fine, watch how it's done.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cobarde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
