Spanish · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Horse" in Spanish: caballo

el caballo

Say it: kah-BAH-yohmasculine · el caballonoun/kaˈβa.ʝo/

A horse is el caballo (kah-BAH-yoh). It is masculine: un caballo, los caballos. A mare is la yegua.

On a ranch

El caballo come pasto fresco.
The horse eats fresh grass.
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How to pronounce caballo

Say it

kah-BAH-yoh

/kaˈβa.ʝo/

kah-BAH-yoh. Stress BAH. Double ll sounds like y. Say caballo with three beats.

"Horse" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
el caballothe horse

Default word; often any horse.

la yeguathe mare

Adult female horse.

a caballoon horseback

Riding: ir a caballo.

el caballo blancothe white horse

Color after the noun.

How to use caballo in real life

  1. 1On a ranch

    El caballo come pasto fresco.

    The horse eats fresh grass.

    El caballo as subject.

  2. 2Riding

    Vamos a caballo por el campo.

    We're going on horseback through the fields.

    A caballo means on horseback.

  3. 3Pointing

    Mira ese caballo grande.

    Look at that big horse.

    Ese caballo points to one animal.

Mistakes English speakers make with caballo

Incorrect: La caballo es rápido.

Correct: El caballo es rápido.

Caballo is masculine. Use el caballo.

Incorrect: Montamos en el caballo.

Correct: Montamos a caballo.

For riding in general, say a caballo, not en el caballo.

Good to know

Caballo is common in ranch and festival talk across Latin America. Ir a caballo means to ride. Use yegua for a female; caballo stays the usual word.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Visiting a ranch

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Te gusta este caballo?

    Do you like this horse?

  2. You

    Sí. El caballo es muy tranquilo.

    Yes. The horse is very calm.

  3. ChatPal

    Podemos montar un rato.

    We can ride for a bit.

  4. You

    Bueno. Voy despacio.

    Okay. I'll go slowly.

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"Horse" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Horse" in Spanish

Is caballo masculine or feminine?

Masculine: el caballo. A mare is la yegua.

How do you say on horseback?

A caballo, as in ir a caballo.

How do you pronounce caballo?

kah-BAH-yoh. The ll sounds like y.

What is yegua?

La yegua is a mare. Caballo is the usual word for horse.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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