It is said that dogs are man’s best friends. So if you are learning Spanish, tu mascota or your pet can be the best companion to practice the language. If you are moving to a Spanish speaking country, you’ll definitely want un perrito or a doggy. It is estimated that people in Argentina and Mexico have more pets than in any other country. And when we talk about pets, we refer to puppies. Cachorritos are the most popular pets in Spanish speaking countries.
Once you have a dog, not only do you buy comida para perro or dog food but also you get them dog clothes and start talking to them as to any friend. So they are the ideal partners you can practice your Spanish language skills with becoming bilinguals both of you.
If you are a starter student of Spanish as a foreign language, talking to your perrito or puppy is the best way to get started since you give them commands or make small talks. You don’t need to be an expert in the Spanish language to talk to your mascota, you simply use greetings, the imperative form of basic verbs and some puppy related vocabulary.
When addressing your dog in Spanish you can do it by its name or simply saying mi lindo perrito or my cute puppy. In Spanish you need to distinguish between female and male gender in nouns. Perro means male dog and perra means female dog. A big problem you’ll face is the pronunciation of the sound “r” which is more marked than the English “r”. If you want to be more caring you can address it by simply using perrito/perrita which literally means “small” or “little” in an affectionate way.
| 1 | Commands are really easy to learn in Spanish since they are the imperative form of the verb. If you are a beginner, you can learn them by heart without any deep analysis of how they are made up. In English, commands are made up of the infinitive form. The verb doesn't change. Whereas in the Spanish language, the verb is conjugated to match the second person in singular. |
| 2 | Los perritos don’t understand any language in particular. It is a matter of getting your puppy used to short words that stand out from any other daily vocabulary. Besides, commands are unlikely to be used in real conversations with your friends of peers so the best way to learn the imperative form is with your mascota. |
| 3 | Commands are powerful tools to train your dog. If you want to have fun and practice your language skills in Spanish, practice with your dog some commands. Don't try to translate commands since in Spanish you need to make some tweaks from the infinite form. |
| 4 | If you want your perrito stay still you simply say ¡Quieto! which literally means still or calm in English. In order to teach your mascota to sit, you simply say ¡Sentado! in a firm way. This cannot be translated literally since it means to be seated which is an adjective and not an imperative in the English language. The Spanish equivalent of Sit! is ¡Siéntate!. En both cases, ¡Quieto! and ¡Sentado! are used to address a male dog. To address a female dog you simply use ¡Quieta! or ¡Sentada! |
| 5 | There are also commands that include slang words. In the Spanish language, there are some doggy related vocabulary you can use in a caring way. If you want your mascota to go to its basket or box, you simply say ¡A la cucha!. This expression is widely used in South America when you want your dog to go to bed. Alternatively, you can add the verb go: ¡Vaya a la cucha! It is important you use an authoritative tone of voice so they are recognized as obedience commands. |
There are many one-word expressions you can use to talk to your puppy while learning Spanish. It is highly important to congratulate your pet when behaving correctly or to scold them when misbehaving. In order to do so, there are two simple words: ¡Si! which means Yes and ¡No!, well, it doesn’t need further explanation. Moreover, these are the first words kiddos learn when acquiring any language so you can also try them with pets.
If you want to say add anything else you can use ¡No! No hagas eso to Don’t do that. If you want to reward your pet when behaving correctly you simply use ¡Si! Bien hecho or Yes! Well done. Another alternative to reward your perro is using the expression ¡Buen perro! which literally means Good dog! You can also say ¡Buen chico! which is translated as Good boy! If your dog misbehaves, you simply use ¡Perro malo! or Bad dog! Remember that in Spanish adjectives such as bueno or malo goes after a singular masculine noun. |
Dogs are treated in Spanish cultures as they are in the USA or UK. Dogs are loved and cared as any family member is. They are dressed up in outstanding outfits and in most cases they sleep with people’s kids.
In most cases, people who live on their own make small talk to their pets. People find good companions in their dogs, so they talk to them so as no to feel alone. Dogs are perceptive and listen carefully to their owners. So no wonder people talk to their pets as they’d do to children.
There are many people who tell their perritos what they are actually doing or what plans they have for the rest of the day. If you don’t have anyone to practice your newly acquired Spanish language skills, remember that dogs are man’s best friends. |
By talking to your puppy in Spanish you can hit two targets with one shot: Practice linguistics skills and train your dog at the same time. A trained dog is a well-behaved pet and a good companion. You can make your relationship grow by talking to them and if you do it in Spanish you’ll improve your communication skills and pronunciation. Moreover, as dogs don’t speak you can hold one-sided conversations without caring about making mistakes. Nobody will notice it
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