Love-Spanish.com: Perro

Today's WOTD is: "perro" = dog

The Spanish word "perro" is mainly a masculine noun of unclear origin (maybe Pre-Roman or even onomatopoeic) which means dog. The feminine form of this noun is “perra” means bitch.

A pack of hounds in Spanish is a “jauría”.

In Spanish, “perro”/ “perra” could also be a describing word/ adjective, which means rotten or lousy (often used to describe life/ luck) and nasty (person).

Some commonly used expressions containing the words "perro" are:

A espetaperro (suddenly/ in a hurry);
A espetaperros (suddenly/ in a hurry);
A espeta perros (suddenly/ in a hurry);
Amores perros (original title of the Mexican film – title translated into English as “Life is a bitch”);
¡A otro perro con ese hueso! (pull the other one!/ go tell it to the marines!);
A perro flaco todo son pulgas (it never rains but it pours);
Atar perros con longanizas (to have money to burn/ to be in the land of plenty);
Como perro con cencerro (in shame);
Como perro con cuerno (in shame);
Como perro con maza (in shame);
Como perro con vejiga (in shame);
Cuidado con el perro (beware of the dog);
De perro (foul);
De perros (foul);
Echar los perros a alguien (to tell someone off);
Estar como los perros en misa (to be not belonging/ out of natural environment);
Hinchar el perro (to blow things out of all proportion/ to create a story about nothing);
Irle a alguien como a los perros en misa (to be going through a bad time);
Los mismos perros con diferentes collares (nothing substantial has changed/ the same old story);
Los mismos perros con distintos collares (nothing has changed/ the same old story);
Llevarse como el perro y el gato (to fight like cat and dog);
Morir alguien como un perro (to die abandoned and alone);
No querer perro con cencerro (wanting to avoid things which are more trouble than they are worth);
No tener ni perro que te ladre (to be really alone in the world/ lonely);
Perra chica (colloquial name for an old 5 cents of a peseta coin);
Perra gorda ( colloquial name for an old 10 cents of a peseta coin);
Perro afgano (Afghan hound);
Perrito* caliente (hot dog);
Perro caliente (hot dog);
Perro callejero (stray dog);
Perro caniche (poodle);
(Perro) chihuahua (Chihuahua breed dog);
Perro chino (Chinese breed of hairless dog);
Perro cobrador (retriever);
Perro dálmata (dalmatian);
Perro danés (Great Dane/ Danish hound);
Perro de agua (coypu);
Perro de aguas (water dog/ spaniel);
Perro de casta (pure bred/ pedigree dog);
Perro de caza (hunting dog/ gun dog);
Perro de ciego (guide dog);
Perro de compañía (pet dog);
Perro de lanas (poodle);
Perro de presa (bulldog);
Perro de raza (pure bred/ pedigree dog);
Perro San Bernardo (St. Bernard);
Perro de Terranova (Newfoundland hound);
Perro de trineo (husky);
Perro dogo (bulldog);
Perro esquimal (husky);
Perro faldero (poodle/ lapdog);
(Perro) galgo (greyhound);
Perro guardián (guard dog);
Perro guía (guide dog);
Perro guión (lead dog in a pack of hounds);
Perro ladrador poco mordedor (his/ her bark is worse than his/ her bite);
Perro lazarillo (guide dog);
(Perro) lebrel (hound/ whippet);
(Perro) lebrero (hound);
Perro lobo (wolf hound);
Perro lucharniego (dog/ hound trained for night hunting);
Perro lulú (Pomeranian/ dwarf Spitz dog);
(Perro) mastín (mastiff);
Perro mapache (raccoon dog);
Perro marino (dog fish);
Perro no come perro (there is a code of honour amongst thieves)**;
Perro pastor (sheepdog);
Perro pequinés (pekinese dog;)
Perro perdiguero (partridge hunting dog);
(Perro) podenco (hound);
Perro policía (police dog/ German shepherd/ Alsatian);
Perro raposero (fox houd);
Perro rastreador (tracking dog);
Perro rastrero (tracking dog);
(Perro) sabueso (bloodhound);
Perro salchicha (sausage dog/ dachshound);
Perro vagabundo (stray dog);
Perro viejo (old dog);
Perro zorrero (fox houd);
Quedarse como perro perdiguero (to remain motionless);
Ser como el perro del hortelano (ni come ni deja comer al amo) (to be like a dog in a manger);
Tratar a alguien como un perro (to treat someone like dirt);

*NB Pleaso note that “perrito” is the diminutive little dog.

**NB Please do not confuse with the English expression “dog eat dog”

Some examples of the use of the word "perro" are:

Tuvimos que salir a espetaperro (we had to leave in a hurry);
Tuvimos que salir a espetaperros (we had to leave in a hurry);
Tuvimos que salir a espeta perros (we had to leave in a hurry);
La jauría para la caza del zorro es típicamente inglesa (pack of hounds for fox hunting is typically English);
Pedro se cree que aquí se atan los perros con longanizas (Pedro beliIves we live in the land of plenty);
Me fui como perro con cencerro (I went away in shame);
Me fui como perro con cuerno (I went away in shame);
Me fui como perro con maza (I went away in shame);
Me fui como perro con vejiga (I went away in shame);
Llevo un día de perros ( I am having a foul day);
Me echaron los perros (I have been given a right telling off);
Aquí estamos como los perros en misa (we are feeling we don't belong here);
Aquí nos va como a los perros en misa (we are feeling we don't belong here);
Algunos periodistas se pasan la vida hinchando el perro (some journalists are forever making up news);
Hoy en día nos encontarmos con los mismos perros con diferentes collares (nowadays we find the same old story/ the same old things);
Hoy en día nos encontarmos con los mismos perros con distintos collares (nowadays we find the same old story/ the same old things);
Antonio y David se llevan como el perro y el gato (Antonio and David fight like cat and dog);
A Manolo lo dejaron morir como un perro (Manolo was left to die alone and abandoned/ like a dog);
Nadie quiere perro con cencerro (nobody wants something which is more trouble than is worth);
Simón no tiene ni perro que le ladre (Simón is really alone in the world/ lonely);
Eso no vale una perra chica (that is worth next to nothing);
Eso no vale una perra gorda (that is worth next to nothing);
Me quedé como perro perdiguero (I 'froze'/ was left motionless);
Ese tipo es como el perro del hortelano (ni come ni deja comer al amo) (that guy is like a dog in a manger);
A Ramón lo trataron como un perro (Ramón was treated like dirt);

Love-Spanish.com loves the word "perro" in the YouTube clip: ¿Con quién se queda el perro? Jesse & Joy(lyric)

For more on the word "perro", visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Perro

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “perro” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

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