Talking to children and dogs in Spanish, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Learners get caught out in two conversations because nobody prepares them for those. A four-year-old asks you something at a family lunch, and a stranger’s dog walks up to you in a park. Both are friendly, both are short, and in both you need vocabulary that is not in the textbook: diminutives, commands, and a set of words for children that changes at every border. Below: what to say to a child, how children speak to you, and how to talk to and about a dog in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
Talking to a child
Use tú with any child in Mexico and Spain, and vos in Argentina. Colombia is the exception worth flagging. Many Colombian adults use usted with children, including their own, and a child there may well answer you in usted too. It is meant as warmth.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What’s your name? | ¿Cómo te llamas? / ¿Cómo te llamás? (Argentina) | |
| How old are you? | ¿Cuántos años tienes? / ¿Cuántos años tenés? (Argentina) | A child will answer with fingers |
| Look how big you are | ¡Qué grande estás! | The universal thing adults say to a child they have not seen in a while |
| How’s school? | ¿Cómo te va en la escuela? / en el cole (Spain) | El cole is what Spanish families call it |
| What year are you in? | ¿En qué grado vas? (Mexico, Colombia) / ¿En qué curso estás? (Spain) / ¿A qué grado vas? (Argentina) | |
| Do you like it? | ¿Te gusta? | |
| Give me a kiss | Dame un beso. | Said on arriving and leaving, to children you know |
| Say hello | Saluda. / Saludá. (Argentina) | Instruction to the child, from a parent |
| What do you say? | ¿Qué se dice? | The prompt for a forgotten gracias, in all four countries |
| Behave | Pórtate bien. / Portate bien. (Argentina) | |
| Be good | Sea juicioso / juiciosa. | Colombia, and constant there |
| Careful | Cuidado. / Ten cuidado. | |
| Don’t touch that | No toques eso. / No toqués eso. (Argentina) | |
| Come here | Ven acá. / Vení acá. (Argentina) | |
| Sit still | Quédate quieto / quieta. | |
| That’s enough | Ya basta. | |
| Well done | ¡Muy bien! / ¡Bien hecho! | |
| How lovely | ¡Qué lindo / linda! (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) / ¡Qué mono / mona! or ¡Qué guapo! (Spain) | Lindo is rare in Spain; mono means cute there and monkey elsewhere |
| Good night, sleep well | Que sueñes con los angelitos. | Said to children everywhere |
The names adults use: mi amor, mi vida, mi cielo, corazón, mi rey and mi reina for children of any age, and campeón for a boy who has done something. In Mexico people also say mijo and mija. In Argentina people use nene and nena as both a noun and a way of addressing a child directly.
Diminutives
For small things, young things and affection, people add -ito and -ita, and with children the ending is on nearly every noun. Un besito, a little kiss. Un ratito, a little while. Tu manita, your little hand.
To words ending in -e, -n or -r, people usually add -cito: un cochecito, un ratoncito, una florcita. In Colombia and much of the Andes people switch to -ico when the word already has a t: un ratico, a little while; un gatico, a kitten; un momentico. In Andalusia and parts of Spain the ending is -illo: un poquillo, un ratillo. Mexicans use diminutives more than people in any of the other three countries, and on words that are not nouns: ahorita, tantito, lueguito, rapidito.
Chiquito and chiquita mean little one and are used for children everywhere. In Spain people say peque, short for pequeño, for their own children: los peques, the kids.
The words for a child, country by country
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby | el bebé | el bebé | el bebé | el bebé |
| Toddler, small child | el niño chiquito, el bebé | el peque, el nene / la nena | el niño pequeño, el bebé | el nene / la nena |
| Child (neutral) | el niño / la niña | el niño / la niña | el niño / la niña | el chico / la chica, el nene / la nena |
| Kid (informal) | el chamaco, el chavo, el escuincle, el morro (north) | el crío, el chaval, el chiquillo | el pelado, el chino (Bogotá) | el pibe / la piba, el chico |
| Teenager | el adolescente, el chavo | el adolescente, el chaval | el adolescente, el pelado | el adolescente, el pibe |
| Children, as a group | los niños, los chamacos | los niños, los críos, los peques | los niños, los pelados | los chicos, los pibes |
Escuincle in Mexico is affectionate from a grandmother and dismissive from a stranger. Chino in Bogotá means a kid, and anyone who learned it as Chinese elsewhere is surprised. Los chicos in Argentina means the children, and also your mates, and you tell which from the context. Chaval is Spain’s word, and people elsewhere do not use it.
Two false friends worth knowing. Guagua means a baby in Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and a bus in the Canary Islands, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Chaval and chamaco sound wrong in each other’s countries; nobody will misunderstand you, but everyone will place you.
How children address adults
Mexico. Usted to adults outside the family, señor and señora to strangers, don or doña with a first name for older neighbours. Tío and tía are for real aunts and uncles. A teacher is maestro, maestra or profe.
Spain. Children use tú with almost everyone, including teachers, and call adult family friends by their first name. Señor and señora sound formal and are mostly for strangers in a shop. A teacher is el profe, la profe or la seño in primary school. Tío and tía are also slang for mate, so Spanish children hear the word both ways all day.
Colombia. Usted in both directions, from adult to child and child to adult, especially in Bogotá and the interior. Señor and señora, and don and doña with first names, are normal. Close family friends are tío and tía even without blood relation.
Argentina. Vos with nearly everyone, including many teachers and parents’ friends. Usted is reserved for the very formal and the very old. Señor and señora to strangers. A primary teacher is la seño.
Dogs
Dogs in all four countries are trained on short commands, and most are said as a bare past participle or an imperative. In Argentina people put the stress on the last syllable, which is the whole difference between the vos form and the rest.
| Command | Mexico, Colombia | Spain | Argentina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sit | Sentado. / Siéntate. | Sienta. / Siéntate. | Sentado. / Sentate. |
| Stay | Quieto. | Quieto. | Quieto. |
| Come | Ven. / Ven acá. | Ven aquí. | Vení. / Vení acá. |
| No | No. | No. | No. |
| Drop it | Suelta. / Suéltalo. | Suelta. | Soltá. |
| Lie down | Échate. / Acostado. | Túmbate. / Echado. | Echate. |
| Down, off the sofa | Bájate. / Abajo. | Abajo. | Bajate. |
| Give me your paw | Dame la pata. | Dame la patita. | Dame la pata. |
| Let’s go | Vamos. / Vámonos. | Vamos. | Vamos. |
| Out, go away | ¡Fuera! | ¡Fuera! | ¡Fuera! |
| Stop that | ¡Ya! / ¡Basta! | ¡Basta! | ¡Basta! |
| Good boy, good girl | Buen chico. / Buena chica. / Muy bien. | Buen chico. / Muy bien. | Buen perro. / Muy bien. |
Most people talk to a dog the way they talk to a small child, in diminutives and questions nobody answers: ¿quién es el más lindo?, ¿qué pasó, chiquito?, ya, ya, tranquilo. Mexican and Colombian speakers use mi perrito and el bebé for the dog without irony. A dog’s bark is guau guau, and el guau guau is what a Spanish-speaking toddler calls any dog.
Meeting someone’s dog
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Can I pet him? | ¿Lo puedo acariciar? / ¿Puedo acariciarlo? | Acariciar, to stroke. There is no one-word “to pet” |
| Can I say hello to him? | ¿Lo puedo saludar? | What people actually ask |
| Does he bite? | ¿Muerde? | |
| Is he friendly? | ¿Es amigable? / ¿Es bravo? | Bravo means fierce, and ¿es bravo? is the common question in Mexico and Colombia |
| Is he calm? | ¿Es tranquilo? | |
| What’s he called? | ¿Cómo se llama? | |
| How old is he? | ¿Cuántos años tiene? | |
| Boy or girl? | ¿Es macho o hembra? | Never niño for an animal |
| What breed is he? | ¿Qué raza es? | |
| He’s beautiful | ¡Qué hermoso! / ¡Qué lindo! / ¡Qué bonito! (Mexico) / ¡Qué guapo! (Spain) | |
| He likes you | Le caes bien. | |
| He’s pulling on the lead | Está jalando la correa. (Mexico, Colombia) / Está tirando de la correa. (Spain) / Está tirando de la correa. (Argentina) | Jalar in Mexico and Colombia, tirar in Spain and Argentina |
| I’m taking him for a walk | Lo saco a pasear. | |
| He needs a wee | Tiene que hacer pipí. | |
| He’s a puppy | Es un cachorro. | |
| He’s a rescue | Es adoptado. / Lo rescatamos. |
Ask before you touch a dog, everywhere. The owner will usually say sí, es muy noble, a common way of saying a dog is gentle, or con cuidado, es miedoso, careful, he’s nervous.
Breeds and mutts
| Spanish | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed breed, street dog | callejero | Everywhere, and literally “of the street” |
| Mixed breed | criollo (Colombia, Argentina), mestizo (Spain, Argentina) | Criollo means locally bred rather than imported |
| Mutt, informal | chucho (Spain, Mexico) | Affectionate in Spain for any dog |
| Small mongrel | gozque | Colombia |
| German shepherd | pastor alemán | |
| Labrador | labrador | |
| Poodle | caniche (Spain, Argentina), poodle or french poodle (Mexico, Colombia) | |
| Dachshund | perro salchicha | Sausage dog, the everyday name in all four |
| Greyhound | galgo | |
| Pet | la mascota | |
| Lead, collar, muzzle | la correa, el collar, el bozal | |
| Vet | el veterinario |
Perro is the plain word and perrito is the affectionate one, used for dogs of any size. Calling a specific dog un perro callejero to its owner is not a compliment; criollo in Colombia and Argentina is the neutral word people use with pride.
What you will hear
| You will hear | Who says it | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Saluda. / Dile hola. | A parent, to the child | Say hello to this person |
| ¿Qué se dice? | A parent, to the child | Say thank you |
| Es tímido / tímida. | A parent | He’s shy, don’t take the silence personally |
| No le hagas caso. | A parent | Ignore him, he’s being silly |
| Está en esa edad. | A parent | It’s the age he’s at |
| Tranquilo, no muerde. | A dog owner | Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite |
| Es muy noble. | A dog owner | He’s gentle |
| Es cachorro todavía. | A dog owner | He’s still a puppy |
| Se emociona. | A dog owner | He gets excited, said as the dog jumps on you |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Cuántos años tienes? What’s your name? How old are you?
- ¡Qué grande estás! Look how big you are.
- Pórtate bien, ¿sí? Behave, ok?
- Sea juicioso en el colegio. Be good at school. (Colombia)
- Vení acá, chiquito. Come here, little one. (Argentina)
- ¿Lo puedo acariciar? ¿Muerde? Can I pet him? Does he bite?
- ¿Qué raza es? ¡Qué lindo! What breed is he? He’s lovely!
- Es un callejero, lo rescatamos. He’s a street dog, we rescued him.
- Sentado. Muy bien. Sit. Good boy.
- Lo saco a pasear en la mañana. I take him out in the morning.
Questions people ask
Is it rude to use tú with someone else’s child? No. It is normal in Mexico and Spain, and in Argentina vos replaces tú. In Colombia many adults use usted with children, so if the parent does, follow them.
What’s the difference between “niño”, “chico” and “chaval”? Niño is the neutral word everywhere. Chico means a child in Argentina and a young person in most other places. Chaval is Spanish and is informal. When in doubt, niño.
What is a “pelado” in Colombia? A kid or a young person, used constantly and with no rudeness, despite meaning “bald”. It is the same with pelada for a girl.
How do I say “cute”? Lindo in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, mono and guapo in Spain, bonito everywhere. For a baby, precioso and hermoso are used in all four.
Do dogs in Spanish-speaking countries understand English commands? Many trained dogs there are taught in Spanish, so sentado, quieto and ven are what they respond to. Most of it is in the tone anyway.
What is “cachorro”? A puppy, and also a cub of most animals. For a very small dog rather than a young one, say un perro chiquito.
How do I ask if a dog is dangerous without insulting it? ¿Se deja acariciar?, does he let people stroke him. It is the polite form of the question and the one owners answer easily.
What do people call a cat? El gato, el gatito, and el michi in Mexico and Colombia for a cat you are talking to. In Spain people say el minino and call a cat with mis, mis, mis.
Practise these words
niño, bebé, chiquito, portarse, cuidado, beso, escuela, perro, cachorro, acariciar, morder, pasear, correa. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.