Talking about Pets in Spanish (examples and exercises)

¡Hola! Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we will cover the basic vocabulary for domestic animals and pets in Spanish. These words will be presented through pictures and audio examples. We will practice the vocabulary with interactive exercises and Spanish listening activities about pets. Let’s get started…

Vocabulary introduction: Pets and domestic animals in Spanish

The illustrations below introduce part of the vocabulary related to domestic animals and pets in Spanish through beautiful graphics. We took into account those animals that people often have in their houses. Please try to memorize these words as we will see them next in sentences and exercises.

Domestic animals and pets in Spanish - Vocabulary and listening activities

Interactive exercise No. 1

Write the names of these ten domestic animals in Spanish below these vocabulary flashcards.

el caballo / el conejo / el dragón barbudo / el gato / el hámster / el perico / el perro / el pez / la serpiente / la tortuga

Key verbs for talking about pets in Spanish

Below, there is a list of sentences related to these animals. Most of the sentences are thing you would hear people say about pets in Spanish. To fully understand the examples, it is important to know a little about adjectives and how to talk about likes and dislikes in Spanish. Pay attention to the example sentences about pets in Spanish in the following illustration:

Listen to and analyze the following group of example sentences with household animals or pets in Spanish.

El perico – El perico es muy parlanchín. Habla todo el día.
The parakeet – The parakeet is very talkative. He talks all day.
El gato – Tu gato es muy cariñoso y divertido.
The cat – Your cat is very affectionate and funny.
El perro – Mi mascota favorita es el perro.
The dog – My favorite pet is the dog.
La tortuga – Oye, mira qué bonita esa tortuguita.
The turtle – Hey, look how pretty that little turtle is.
El pez – Tengo una pecera con 3 peces. Son fáciles de cuidar.
Fish – I have a fish tank with 3 fish. They are easy to take care of.
El sapo – No me gustan los sapos
Toad – I do not Like Toads
La rata – Una rata sería la mascota perfecta para ti.
The Rat – A rat would be the perfect pet for you.
El hámster – Mira, ese hámster está muy gordito.
The hamster – Look, that hamster is very chubby.
El conejo – Hay muchos conejos en la tienda de mascotas
The Rabbit – There are many rabbits in the pet store
La serpiente – Debes alimentar la serpiente hoy.
The Snake – You must feed the snake today.
La lagartija – ¿Crees que tengan lagartijas en la tienda?
The lizard – Do you think they have lizards in the store?
El caballo – Los caballos son muy rápidos.
The horse – Horses are very fast.

Interactive exercise No. 2

Read these sentences about pets in Spanish and complete them by dragging the missing words to the correct spaces. Then, check your answers.

Listening Activity No. 1: Talking about your favorite pets in Spanish

Listen to Mark talking about his favorite pets in Spanish. Pay attention to the animals he mentions and write down as much information as you can. Then, try to solve the quiz below. ¡Buena suerte!
Audio script: My favorite pets in Spanish
¡Hola! Mi nombre es Mark. Tengo 25 años. Hoy voy a hablar de mi mascota favorita. Me gustan mucho los animales. Me gustan los gatos, los pericos, los peces y los conejos. No me gustan los sapos. Tampoco me gustan las lagartijas. Los gatos son cariñosos y divertidos. Los pericos son muy parlanchines y repiten todo. Los peces son fáciles de cuidar. Las serpientes me dan miedo. Me gustan estos animales, pero mi mascota favorita es el perro porque los perros son amables, juguetones e inteligentes.

Listening Activity No. 2: Getting a new pet in Spanish

It’s time for the main listening activity. Now, you will listen to two friends talking about pets in Spanish. Listen and then solve the interactive quiz about the content of the conversation.

Key phrases in the conversation:

  • “No estoy segura” means “I´m not sure”
  • “Me gustan/ No me gustan” means “I like / I don’t like”
  • “No tengo tiempo para cuidarlas” means “I don’t have time to take care of them”
Conversation script: Getting a new pet in Spanish
Alex: Mercedes, ¿Escuchaste sobre la nueva tienda de mascotas?
Mercedes: ¿Tienda de mascotas?
Alex: Sí, hay una tienda de mascotas cerca del centro comercial ¿Quieres ir?
Mercedes: No estoy segura, no me gustan mucho las mascotas. No tengo tiempo para cuidarlas.
Alex: A mí me gustan mucho los animales. Quisiera tener varios perros, un par de gatos, una tortuguita y un perico parlanchín que repita lo que digo.
Mercedes: Yo soy alérgica a los perros, así que no me gustan. Los gatos son cariñosos, pero también son ruidosos.
Alex: También puedes comprar una mascota exótica como un hámster, una serpiente, peces o incluso lagartijas.
Mercedes: Mira Alex, yo creo que un caballo sería la mascota perfecta.
Alex: Oye, eres muy exigente. Además, no creo que tengan caballos en la tienda.
Mercedes: Lo dudo, pero vamos a la tienda. Te acompañaré.
Alex: ¡Excelente!

Extra Practice: Spanish alphabet worksheet

Before you leave, we have created a worksheet for your to practice the alphabet in Spanish along with the vocabulary for farm animals and pets. Please follow the link and practice on your on.

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