Talking About Pets in Spanish: Describe Your Dog or Cat and Share Simple Stories
Learn to say you have a dog named Max or that you're a cat person, and share basic pet stories using tengo, se llama, and soy más de...
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson, you'll learn to talk about pets in Spanish. You'll practice saying what pet you have, giving its name and age, and describing its personality. You'll also learn to say whether you're a dog person or a cat person. The focus is on the verb tener (to have), llamarse (to be called), and the phrase ser más de... (to be more into...). These are common in everyday conversation across Latin America.
By the end, you can…
- say what pet I have and give its name and age.
- say whether I'm a dog person or a cat person.
- describe my pet's personality using simple adjectives.
- share a short story about something my pet did.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Tengo un perro que se llama Max.
I have a dog named Max.
TEHN-goh oon PEH-rroh keh seh YAH-mah MAHKS
Use tengo for 'I have'. Que se llama literally means 'that is called' and introduces the name. This is the most common way to present a pet.
Soy más de gatos.
I'm more of a cat person.
soy mahs deh GAH-tohs
This phrase means you prefer cats. You can also say Soy más de perros for dogs. It's a casual, friendly way to express preference.
Mi gata tiene tres años.
My cat is three years old.
mee GAH-tah TYEH-neh tres AH-nyohs
Use tener for age, not ser. Gata is a female cat; gato is a male cat. The word año means year.
Es muy juguetón y cariñoso.
He is very playful and affectionate.
es mwee hoo-geh-TOHN ee kah-ree-NYOH-soh
Use these adjectives to describe a male pet. For a female, say juguetona and cariñosa. They describe personality.
Ayer mi perro se comió mi tarea.
Yesterday my dog ate my homework.
ah-YEHR mee PEH-rroh seh koh-MYOH mee tah-REH-ah
A classic excuse! Use the preterite se comió for a completed action. This is a simple past tense form.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To talk about having a pet, use tengo + un/una + animal. For example: Tengo un perro. Tengo una gata. To give the name, add que se llama...: Tengo un perro que se llama Max. To say age, use tiene + number + años: Mi perro tiene cinco años. To describe personality, use es + adjective: Es juguetón. Remember that adjectives agree in gender: juguetón (male), juguetona (female).
When to use it
Use these phrases in casual conversations with friends, family, or classmates. For example, when someone asks ¿Tienes mascotas? (Do you have pets?), you can answer Tengo un gato. If you want to express preference, say Soy más de perros or Soy más de gatos. When telling a story about your pet, use the preterite tense for completed actions: Mi gato se subió al árbol (My cat climbed the tree). Use the imperfect for descriptions in the past: Mi perro era muy tranquilo (My dog was very calm).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Tienes mascotas?
Do you have pets?tee-EH-nehs mas-KOH-tahsSí, tengo un perro que se llama Max. Es muy juguetón.
Yes, I have a dog named Max. He is very playful.see TEHN-goh oon PEH-rroh keh seh YAH-mah MAHKS. es mwee hoo-geh-TOHN¡Qué lindo! Yo soy más de gatos. Tengo una gata que se llama Luna.
How nice! I'm more of a cat person. I have a cat named Luna.keh LEEN-doh YOH soy mahs deh GAH-tohs TEHN-goh OO-nah GAH-tah keh seh YAH-mah LOO-nahLuna es un nombre bonito. ¿Cuántos años tiene?
Luna is a pretty name. How old is she?LOO-nah es oon NOHM-breh boh-NEE-toh KWAN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehA little context goes a long way
In many Spanish-speaking countries, pets are often considered part of the family. You might hear people call their dog or cat mi hijo or mi hija (my son/daughter) affectionately. However, this is informal and mostly used with close friends or family. In more formal contexts, stick to mi perro or mi gato. Also, the phrase soy más de... is very common in casual conversation to express preference for anything, not just pets.
One thing to watch for
Saying *Tengo un perro se llama Max* without 'que'.
Try this instead: You need the relative pronoun que: Tengo un perro que se llama Max. Without que, the sentence sounds incomplete. Alternatively, you can say Tengo un perro. Se llama Max. (I have a dog. His name is Max.)
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'I have a cat named Luna' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Tengo una gata que se llama Luna.
Use tengo for 'I have', una gata for 'a cat' (female), and que se llama for 'named'. If the cat is male, say un gato.
2Translate: 'My dog is five years old.'
Show a sample answer
Mi perro tiene cinco años.
Use tiene (from tener) for age, not es. The word años means years. Remember the ñ sound.
3How do you say 'I'm a dog person' in Spanish?
Show a sample answer
Soy más de perros.
This phrase literally means 'I'm more of dogs', but it's the standard way to say you prefer dogs. You can also say Soy más de gatos for cats.
Use tengo + pet, que se llama + name, tiene + age + años, and soy más de + plural animal to talk about pets. Practice with your own pet or a friend's pet!
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