paso de cebra
/paso de θebɾa/from spelling rulesmasculine
The English phrase "zebra crossing" is translated into Spanish as paso de cebra. Wiktionary also lists cebra peatonal and cebra.
Meaning: pedestrian crossing featuring broad white stripes (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| paso de cebra | /paso de θebɾa/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /paso de sebɾa/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
| cebra peatonal | /θebɾa peatonal/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /sebɾa peatonal/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
feminine |
| cebra | /ˈθebɾa/ /ˈsebɾa/ |
feminine |
A paso de cebra refers specifically to a pedestrian crossing featuring broad white stripes. When describing the action of crossing at one, you typically use the prepositions por or en, such as in the phrase cruzar por el paso de cebra.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase paso de cebra is a literal translation of "zebra crossing", where paso means crossing or step and cebra means zebra.
Which one should you use?
While paso de cebra refers specifically to the striped pattern, the term paso de peatones is a more general term for any pedestrian crossing.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, only the noun paso is pluralized to pasos, while de cebra remains unchanged.
How do you pronounce it?
/paso de θebɾa/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cities, simply saying la cebra is common shorthand for the entire paso de cebra.
- The term paso is derived from the Latin passus, which literally meant 'spread out to dry'.
- While paso de cebra is the term for stripes, in some Latin American countries, you might hear senda peatonal to describe the same area.
Examples in context
- Por favor, espere a que los vehículos se detengan antes de cruzar el paso de peatones.Please wait for the vehicles to stop before crossing the pedestrian crosswalk.
- Cruza por el paso de cebra.Cross via the zebra crossing.
- El coche paró en el paso de cebra.The car stopped at the zebra crossing.
- Hay un paso de cebra cerca de la escuela.There is a zebra crossing near the school.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are walking near a busy street.
- María¿Dónde está el paso de cebra más cercano?Where is the nearest zebra crossing?
- DanielEstá justo al final de esta calle.It is right at the end of this street.
- MaríaGracias, Daniel, caminaré con cuidado.Thanks, Daniel, I will walk carefully.
- DanielNo hay problema, María, ve por allí.No problem, María, go that way.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zebra crossing” translations and entries paso de cebra, cebra, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cebra, de, paso, peatonal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
