Pescado.
Fish.
The doctor asks who ordered what for dinner, and in this film that one-word answer, pescado, is where the trouble starts.
From ¿Y dónde está el piloto? · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "fish" in Spanish
el pescado
nounmasculinelive fish: el pez
"Fish" as food in Spanish is el pescado. A live fish in the water is el pez, plural los peces. The verb "to fish" is pescar.
Hear "pescado" in a real movie scene
A one-word answer about dinner. The video starts and stops on that line.
Pescado, pez and other fish words
Spanish splits fish into food and animal. These words cover both sides.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| el pescado | fish (food) | On the menu, at the market, on your plate. |
| el pez, los peces | fish (alive) | In a river, in the sea or in a fish tank. |
| pescar | to fish | Vamos a pescar. (Let's go fishing.) |
| el pescador | fisherman | Someone who fishes for work or for fun. |
| la pescadería | fish shop | Where you buy fresh pescado. |
| los mariscos | seafood, shellfish | Prawns, mussels and clams. In Spain you'll also hear el marisco. |
Tip: If it swims, it's un pez. Once it's caught for the kitchen, it's pescado.
Grammar: el pescado, el pez
Four points that keep the two words apart.
Food or animal
el pescado is fish as food. el pez is the live animal: un pez en el río.Some fish, the fish
For fish in general, drop the article: ¿Quieres pescado? For a dish on the menu, use it: Pido el pescado.Peces with a c
un pez, dos peces. The z changes to c before -es.Say it right
Stress the middle syllable: pes-KAH-doh. The d between vowels is soft, with your tongue barely touching your teeth.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Pido el pescado.
I'll have the fish.
El pescado es un plato típico.
Fish is a typical dish.
Bueno, solo dos cosas: carne o pescado.
Well, just two things: meat or fish.
¿Quieres pescado en lugar de carne de res?
Do you want fish instead of beef?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗Pido el pez. (at a restaurant)
✓Pido el pescado.
On a menu or a plate, fish is pescado.
✗Hay muchos pescados en el mar.
✓Hay muchos peces en el mar.
Fish that are alive and swimming are peces.
✗los pezes
✓los peces
The z turns into c before -es.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
What do you hear in the video?
The other 34 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Pescado is also the past participle of pescar, so it means "fished". A pez turns into pescado once someone has fished it out.
Questions about "fish" in Spanish
How do you say fish in Spanish?
El pescado for fish you eat, and el pez for a live fish. The plural of pez is peces.
What's the difference between pez and pescado?
A pez is alive and swimming. Pescado is fish as food: at the market, on the menu or on your plate.
How do you say "to fish" in Spanish?
Pescar: Vamos a pescar. A fisherman is un pescador.
How do you say seafood in Spanish?
Los mariscos, or el marisco in Spain, for shellfish like prawns and mussels.
