o can
Dog
Usage
The standard Galician word for dog; Spanish "perro" is not used. A small dog or puppy is also "cadelo". "Mordeume un can" means a dog bit me
Grammar Note
The plural is "cans" (-n becomes -ns).
o gato
Cat
Usage
A cat. If you react to them, say "Son alérxico aos gatos". A female cat is "a gata"
Grammar Note
Feminine form: a gata.
o paxaro
Bird
Usage
The everyday word for a small bird. Spelled with x, not Spanish "pájaro" or Portuguese "pássaro"
Grammar Note
The x is pronounced /ʃ/. The diminutive is "paxariño" (little bird).
o peixe
Fish
Usage
Used for the live animal and for fish as food. For an allergy: "Son alérxico ao peixe"
Grammar Note
Pronounced with /ʃ/. Same spelling as Portuguese; Spanish uses "pez" and "pescado".
o cabalo
Horse
Usage
Horses. Semi-wild horses live in the Galician hills. Riding is "montar a cabalo"
Grammar Note
Written with one l: "cabalo", not Spanish "caballo".
a vaca
Cow
Usage
A cow, common on Galician farms and pastures. The bull is "o touro"
Grammar Note
The male is "o touro" (bull), a different word.
o porco
Pig
Usage
Pig; also the meat. To say you do not eat pork: "Non como carne de porco"
Grammar Note
The feminine is "a porca" (sow).
a galiña
Hen / Chicken
Usage
The live hen on a farm. The rooster is "o galo". Written with ñ, not Spanish "gallina"
Grammar Note
The male is "o galo" (rooster).
o parrulo
Duck
Usage
A duck on ponds and estuaries. The standard word is "parrulo" (female "a parrula"), not Spanish "pato"
Grammar Note
Feminine form: a parrula.
a cabra
Goat
Usage
Found on mountain pastures. Goat cheese is "o queixo de cabra"
Grammar Note
The male goat is "o bode"; a kid is "o cabrito".
a ovella
Sheep
Usage
Grazing on hillsides. Sheep wool is "a la"
Grammar Note
Written with ll; no j as in Spanish "oveja".
o burro
Donkey
Usage
A donkey, still used on some farms. The female is "a burra". Do not apply it to people
Grammar Note
Feminine form: a burra.
a raposa
Fox
Usage
Seen at dawn or dusk at the edge of woods and fields. The dictionary headword is "raposo" (male); the female is "a raposa"
Grammar Note
The male is "o raposo". Spanish "zorro" is not used.
o ourizo
Hedgehog
Usage
A small spiny animal in gardens. "Ourizo" is also a chestnut burr and a sea urchin; the hedgehog is also called "ourizo cacheiro"
Grammar Note
"Ourizo" has three senses; "ourizo cacheiro" avoids confusion.
o xabaril
Wild boar
Usage
A hazard on roads at night; keep your distance. "Xabaril" is the preferred form, not "xabarín"
Grammar Note
The x is /ʃ/; not Spanish "jabalí".
o cervo
Deer
Usage
Sometimes seen in mountain areas. The female is "a cerva"
Grammar Note
Feminine form: a cerva.
a cegoña
Stork
Usage
Builds huge nests on church towers and poles. Spelled "cegoña", not Spanish "cigüeña"
Grammar Note
The spelling differs from Spanish "cigüeña": no ü, and e instead of i.
a gaivota
Seagull
Usage
Everywhere along the coast and in ports. They go for food on outdoor tables, so watch your plate
Grammar Note
Spelled "gaivota", not Spanish "gaviota".
o pombo
Pigeon
Usage
A fixture of city squares. The feminine "pomba" is also the word for the dove
Grammar Note
The feminine "pomba" is a separate dictionary entry for the domestic dove.
o esquío
Squirrel
Usage
Seen in woods and parks, with a long bushy tail
Grammar Note
The accent is on the í. Not related to Spanish "ardilla".
o coello
Rabbit
Usage
The rabbit; on a menu it means the meat. The female is "a coella"
Grammar Note
Feminine form: a coella.
o rato
Rat / Mouse
Usage
If you find one in a hotel: "Hai un rato no cuarto". The computer mouse is spelled the same
Grammar Note
"Rato" is also a homonym meaning "a while".
o morcego
Bat
Usage
Flies at dusk. Never handle one
Grammar Note
Spanish "murciélago" is not used.
a serpe
Snake
Usage
"Mordeume unha serpe" — a snake bit me. "Cobra" is also listed for the same animal
Grammar Note
"Serpe" is feminine; "a cobra" is a synonym.
a lagarta
Small lizard
Usage
The small lizard darting over stone walls. A big lizard is "o lagarto". The dictionary also lists a newt sense for "lagarta"
Grammar Note
The dictionary gives "small lizard" as the first sense of "lagarta".
a ra
Frog
Usage
Found by water. The toad is a separate word, "o sapo"
Grammar Note
Only two letters: "ra", not Spanish "rana".
o mosquito
Mosquito
Usage
"Hai mosquitos" — there are mosquitoes. Repellent is "o repelente de insectos"
Grammar Note
The plural is regular: mosquitos.
a mosca
Fly
Usage
For flies landing on food at an outdoor table
Grammar Note
The same form as in Spanish and Portuguese.
a abella
Bee
Usage
If you are allergic: "Son alérxico ás abellas". Honey is "o mel"
Grammar Note
Spelled "abella" with ll, not Spanish "abeja".
a avespa
Wasp
Usage
They come for your drink on a terrace; never approach a nest. "Avespa" is the preferred form, not "vespa"
Grammar Note
The dictionary recommends "avespa" over "vespa".
a formiga
Ant
Usage
If they get into your room: "Hai formigas no cuarto"
Grammar Note
Spanish "hormiga" has an h; Galician "formiga" starts with f.
a cascuda
Cockroach
Usage
Tell reception "Hai unha cascuda no cuarto". Synonyms include "o cascudo" and "a carroucha"
Grammar Note
"Barata" in Galician means "cheap", so it is not used for the insect.
a araña
Spider
Usage
If one is in your room: "Hai unha araña no cuarto"
Grammar Note
Same spelling as Spanish, with ñ.
a carracha
Tick
Usage
Check yourself after walking through grass or woods. Tell a doctor "Picoume unha carracha". "Carrapato" is a synonym
Grammar Note
"Carracha" is feminine; synonyms are "carracho" and "carrapato".
a medusa
Jellyfish
Usage
If stung at the beach, say "Picoume unha medusa"
Grammar Note
The same spelling as Spanish and Portuguese.
o golfiño
Dolphin
Usage
Sometimes seen in the rías (estuaries). "Golfiño" is the dictionary word for dolphin
Grammar Note
It carries the diminutive suffix -iño. Spanish "delfín" is not used.
o lobo
Wolf
Usage
Lives in the Galician mountains. Keep your distance if you see one
Grammar Note
Spelled the same as in Spanish and Portuguese.
o mono
Monkey
Usage
There are no wild monkeys in Galicia; use it for zoos or pictures. "Simio" is a synonym
Grammar Note
"Mono" also exists as an adjective meaning "missing a horn or an ear".
More Galician phrases
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