🦊In the wild
Animals you might meet and the tracks they leave.
13 concepts
Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
fox noun | fox Female: vixen. | renardm From Renart, the trickster hero of the medieval Roman de Renart — so popular it replaced the old word goupil entirely. | zorrom Zorra (f) is also a vulgar insult — use zorro or 'una zorra' with care. |
wolf noun | wolf pl. wolves | loupm Female: louve. 'Quand on parle du loup…' = speak of the devil. | lobom |
bear noun | bear Homophone of bare. | oursm The final s IS pronounced — an exception. Female: ourse. | osom Female: osa. La Osa Mayor = the Great Bear. |
deer noun | deer pl. deer Stag / doe / fawn. Once meant any animal (German Tier). | cerfm also: biche (doe), chevreuil (roe deer) Final f silent. | ciervom also: venado, corzo (roe deer) |
wild boar noun | wild boar | sanglierm Obélix's favourite dish. | jabalím Arabic jabalī, 'of the mountain'. |
rabbit noun | rabbit also: hare (bigger, wild), bunny | lapinm also: lièvre (hare) Poser un lapin à quelqu'un = to stand someone up. | conejom also: liebre (hare) |
squirrel noun | squirrel American: /ˈskwɝl/, one syllable-ish. | écureuilm | ardillaf /aɾˈðija/ for most speakers. |
owl noun | owl | hiboum pl. hiboux also: chouette (f — no ear tufts) Aspirated h: le hibou. Chouette also = great! | búhom also: lechuza (barn owl) |
eagle noun | eagle | aiglem | águilaf El águila (stressed a- takes el) but las águilas. |
snake noun | snake also: serpent (literary) | serpentm | serpientef also: culebra, víbora (viper) |
track / footprint noun | track also: footprint, trail | tracef also: empreinte | huellaf also: rastro, pista /ˈweja/ for most speakers. Huella dactilar = fingerprint. |
den / burrow noun | burrow also: den, lair, sett (badger) | terrierm also: tanière (den) Hence the terrier dog, bred to go down burrows. | madrigueraf also: guarida (lair) |
to hunt verb | to hunt | chasser Also to chase away. La chasse = hunting. | cazar La caza. Cazador = hunter. |