Don’t you find the sea fascinating? So do we! There are so many colorful fish, marine plants, beautiful habitats, and don’t let us start talking about the amazing mysterious animals!
Because of all of this, we’re sure most kids are also intrigued by the sea, especially its animals. This is great because they can learn a lot from animals, including Spanish!
Yes, you read that right, children can improve their Spanish skills through sea animals. Sure, a literal turtle won’t come to give them some language classes. That’d be fun, though! But they can start by learning sea animal names in Spanish, which will increase their vocabulary, and they’ll practice their pronunciation.
So if your kids also love the sea, keep reading. Here we tell you all about practicing Spanish through sea animals.
Why Should My Kids Learn Sea Animal Names in Spanish?
It’s super fun!
Learning comes easier for kids – and even for adults, too – when they’re learning something that’s fun and interesting to them. So what better way than to learn the names of sea animals in Spanish?
Animals are already a popular topic for kids in their mother tongue, so who says it can’t be just as enjoyable in their second language?
We know that when learning Spanish there might be some aspects kids won’t enjoy that much. For some this will be verb conjugations, for others it’ll be reading, or the Spanish articles… It depends on their interests.
But if you combine it with something that’s amusing for them, the journey will feel smoother. And they’ll realize that learning Spanish can also be super fun. Animals from the sea can do this for kids! They’re mysterious and spark curiosity in children.
It’s basic vocabulary
One of the first things kids learn in their native language is animals. This doesn’t happen just in school; they start learning their names at home, because it’s basic knowledge.
Children see their dogs, cats or rabbits around the house, so they’re curious about their names. Or they go to the aquarium or watch a movie and learn about sharks, fish, and turtles.
Well, the same goes for learning Spanish.
Animals are part of the basic vocabulary taught in language schools. As well as one of the first things native Spanish speaking kids learn. So yes, they’re also one of the first things your children should learn.
Plus, let’s be honest, one of the more popular types of animals is sea animals. Maybe because they’re part of one of the most common places children and families love visiting, like the beach.
Maybe because there are various movies with these animals as characters. Maybe because they’re different and live in very distinct ecosystems as we do, so that’s intriguing.
For whatever reason, these animals are popular and part of the basic knowledge in Spanish, so your kids must know their names.
It’s a great conversation topic
Kids love speaking about animals with their friends, family, teachers, and anyone else. Because they’re constantly discovering new animals and new things about these interesting creatures. So, of course, it’s an awesome conversation topic for them!
If you want your children to socialize more, this is the perfect subject to teach your kids. They’ll find confidence starting a conversation about such an interesting topic. Because it’s basic and easy but fun.
This can allow them to approach other kids more confidently and make friends more easily. Maybe they’ll even gather the courage to speak with native Spanish speakers!
Fluency is achieved through practice and it’s better if your kids practice through something they like. So imagine how much their Spanish speaking skills, conversation competences, and fluency will improve by speaking about sea animals!
22 Spanish Words Related to Sea Animals
When talking about sea animals, we not only use the names of said animals; we also use other words related to their world. Therefore, it’s important that your kids also learn Spanish words related to sea animals. So they can form sentences and even hold a conversation about these.
That’s why below we bring you a list with some common words related to the sea and the animals living in it. The pronunciation, based on the “Span¡sh D!ctionary”, is inside the parenthesis:
- Sea animals – Animales marinos (ah-nee-mahl-ehs mah-ree-nohs)
- Sea – Mar (mahr)
- Ocean – Océano (oh-seh-ah-noh)
- Water – Agua (ah-gwah)
- Salt water – Agua salada (ah-gwah sah-lah-dah)
- Freshwater – Agua dulce (ah-gwah dool-seh)
- Bubbles – Burbujas (boor-boo-hahs)
- Beach – Playa (plah-yah)
- Aquarium – Acuario (ah-kwah-ryoh)
- Tentacles – Tentáculos (tehn-tah-coo-lohs)
- Fins – Aletas (ah-leh-tahs)
- Carapace – Caparazón (kah-pah-rah-sohn)
- Shell / Seashell – Concha (kohn-chah) / Concha marina (kohn-chah mah-ree-nah)
- Depth – Profundidad (proh-foon-dee-dahd)
- Sea current – Corriente marina (koh-rryehn-teh mah-ree-nah)
- Reef – Arrecife (ah-rreh-see-feh)
- Tide – Marea (mah-reh-ah)
- Wave – Ola (oh-lah)
- Crustaceans – Crustáceos (kroos-tah-seh-ohs)
- Habitat – Hábitat (ah-bee-taht)
- To swim – Nadar (nah-dahr)
- To dive – Bucear (boo-seh-ahr)
24 Spanish Names of Sea Animals
Finally, here are the names in Spanish of many different sea animals. So your kids can have tons of fun learning and using them in a second language. We also added the pronunciation, based on the “Span¡sh D!ctionary”, here:
- Shark – Tiburón (tee-boo-rohn)
- Fish – Pez (pehs) / Pescado (pehs-kah-doh)
- Starfish – Estrella de mar (ehs-treh-yah deh mahr)
- Turtle – Tortuga (tohr-too-gah)
- Whale – Ballena (bah-yeh-nah)
- Dolphin – Delfín (dehl-feen)
- Seahorse – Caballito de mar (kah-bah-yee-toh deh mahr)
- Octopus – Pulpo (pool-poh)
- Jellyfish – Medusa (meh-doo-sah)
- Penguin – Pingüino (peeng-gwee-noh)
- Manta ray – Mantarraya (mahn-tah-rrah-yah)
- Seal – Foca (foh-kah)
- Sea lion – León marino (leh-ohn mah-ree-noh)
- Sea otter – Nutria marina (noo-tryah mah-ree-nah)
- Crab – Cangrejo (kahng-greh-hoh)
- Clam – Almeja (ahl-meh-hah)
- Shrimp – Camarón (kah-mah-rohn)
- Lobster – Langosta (lahng-gohs-tah)
- Squid – Calamar (kah-lah-mahr)
- Giant squid – Calamar gigante (kah-lah-mahr hee-gahn-teh)
- Sea urchin – Erizo marino (eh-ree-soh mah-ree-noh)
- Sea anemone – Anémona marina (ah-neh-moh-nah mah-ree-nah) / Anémona (ah-neh-moh-nah)
- Coral – Coral (koh-rahl)
- Walrus – Morsa (mohr-sah)
12 Types of Fish in Spanish
The sea is full of many different fish! Some are bigger, some super tiny, some more colorful, some cute, and some even a bit scary. Because of this, we’re sure kids will be attracted to learn and see different kinds of fish.
So, here’s a list of a few names in Spanish of different types of fish. You’ll notice that many are fish that appear in the movie “Finding Nemo”, a popular movie many children love. So maybe your kids will be excited to learn the names in Spanish of their favorite animated fish.
- Clownfish – Pez payaso (pehs pah-yah-soh)
- Puffer fish – Pez globo (pehs gloh-boh)
- Blue tang fish – Pez cirujano azul (pehs see-roo-hah-noh ah-sool)
- Moorish idol – Ídolo moro (ee-doh-loh moh-roh)
- Angelfish – Pez ángel (pehs ahng-hehl)
- Betta fish / Siamese fighting fish – Pez betta (pehs beh-tah) / Pez luchador de Siam (pehs loo-chah-dohr deh see-ahm)
- Salmon – Salmón (sahl-mohn)
- Trout – Trucha (troo-chah)
- Longnose butterfly – Pez mariposa de hocico largo (pehs mah-ree-poh-sah deh oh-see-koh lahr-goh)
- Black seadevil – Diablo negro (dyah-bloh neh-groh)
- Royal gramma – Pez abuela real (pehs ah-bweh-lah rreh-ahl) / Gramma loreto (grah-mah loh-reh-toh)
- Sea bass – Lubina (loo-bee-nah)
6 Types of Whales in Spanish
Another popular sea animal is whales. A lot of kids love to talk about the different types of whales and which ones are more awesome to them.
So here are a few very popular types of whales in Spanish for your children to talk about them with their friends:
- Beluga – Beluga (beh-loo-gah)
- Killer whale – Orca (ohr-kah)
- Narwhal – Narval (nahr-bahl)
- Humpback whale – Ballena jorobada (bah-yeh-nah hoh-roh-bah-dah)
- Gray whale – Ballena gris (bah-yeh-nah grees)
- Blue whale – Ballena azul (bah-yeh-nah ah-sool)
8 Types of Sharks in Spanish
If we’re talking about popular sea animals among kids, we have to include sharks! These are very impressive animals. So is no surprise children are attracted to them and completely blown away by their grandeur and power.
To impress your kids even more, teach them the Spanish names of different types of sharks:
- White shark – Tiburón blanco (tee-boo-rohn blahn-koh)
- Hammerhead shark – Tiburón martillo (tee-boo-rohn mahr-tee-yoh)
- Whale shark – Tiburón Ballena (tee-boo-rohn bah-yeh-nah)
- Blue shark – Tiburón azul (tee-boo-rohn ah-sool)
- Bull shark – Tiburopn toro (tee-boo-rohn toh-roh)
- Tiger shark – Tiburón tigre (tee-boo-rohn tee-greh)
- Grey shark – Tiburón gris (tee-boo-rohn grees)
- Asking shark – Tiburón peregrino (tee-boo-rohn peh-reh-gree-noh)
6 Yes & No Questions about Sea Animals for Beginner Learners
One of the best ways for our kids to start practicing Spanish is by asking them questions in the language. So they also answer in Spanish.
For Spanish beginner learners it’s good if you start asking yes/no questions. This way, they don’t feel too nervous to give a long answer. These kinds of questions need short answers and, often, have the same formula.
Here are some examples of yes/no questions about sea animals to ask your children:
- What’s your favorite sea animal? / ¿Cuál es tu animal marino favorito?
- Look at that beautiful fish! What color is it? / ¡Mira ese hermoso pez! ¿De qué color es?
- Do you like killer whales? / ¿Te gustan las orcas?
- Do you think corals are beautiful? / ¿Crees que los corales son hermosos?
- Are you scared of octopuses? I am! / ¿Le tienes miedo a los pulpos? ¡Yo sí!
- Which sea animal would you like to be? I’d like to be a seal. / ¿Qué animal marino te gustaría ser? A mí me gustaría ser una foca.
Make sure your kids always give full sentences when answering. Not just a yes or no, but rather a “yes, I am” or “Yes, I do”. So they fully practice short answers.
For example:
- ¿Cuál es tu animal marino favorito?
- Mi animal marino favorito es la mantarraya.
- ¿Te gustan las orcas?
- No, no me gustan las orcas.
10 Questions in Spanish about Sea Animals
Now, if you want your kids to start practicing longer answers you have to ask questions that allow for longer explanations and descriptions. A lot of these questions start with a “why”, because that encourages to expand one’s thoughts, feelings and ideas.
Remember, these kinds of questions are super important for your kids’ fluency, because it can lead to a conversation. Here are some questions about the sea and its animals that you can ask your kids to help a conversation happen:
- Can you describe me the sea? / ¿Puedes describirme el mar?
- Why do you love sharks so much? / ¿Por qué te gustan tanto los tiburones?
- What’s your favorite thing about seahorses? / ¿Cuál es tu cosa favorita de los caballitos de mar?
- Why are sea animals your favorite type of animals? / ¿Por qué los animales marinos son tu tipo de animales favoritos?
- What have you learned about sea animals in your class? / ¿Qué has aprendido sobre los animales marinos en tu clase?
- Can you tell me four different types of whales? / ¿Me puedes decir cuatro diferentes tipos de ballenas?
- Would you please describe to me the starfish you saw during the school trip to the beach? I’ve never seen one! / ¿Me describirías, por favor, la estrella de mar que viste en el viaje escolar a la playa? ¡Nunca he visto una!
- What was your favorite part from your sea animals birthday party? / ¿Cuál fue tu parte favorita de tu fiesta de cumpleaños de animales marinos?
- Why are you scared of squids? / ¿Por qué le tienes miedo a los calamares?
- What do you think is the most beautiful thing about jellyfish? Really! Why? / ¿Cuál crees que sea la cosa más bonita de las medusas? ¡Enserio! ¿Por qué?
12 Phrases in Spanish about Sea Animals
It’s time to give your kids some Spanish phrases about sea animals, so they can discuss these animals with their friends or family. They can, of course, form their own sentences to have Spanish conversations. But if they’re just starting their language practice, they might feel more confident using the phrases you teach them at first.
- I love white sharks, because they look very strong. / Me gustan los tiburones blancos, porque se ven muy fuertes.
- I’m scared of giant squids, because they look dangerous. / Tengo miedo de los calamares gigantes, porque se ven peligrosos.
- The sea is very beautiful, but scary at the same time. / El mar es muy hermoso, pero atemorizante al mismo tiempo.
- Guess what? I went on a boat trip in Cancun with my family and we saw a turtle! / ¿Adivina qué? ¡Fuimos en un paseo en bote en Cancún con mi familia y vimos una tortuga!
- We’re learning about sea animals at school and it’s so cool! Now I want to go to the beach to see the sea. / ¡Estamos aprendiendo de animales marinos en la escuela y está super padre! Ahora quiero ir a la playa a ver el mar.
- Mom, can we please go to the beach? I want to see a crab! / Mamá, por favor, ¿podemos ir a la playa? ¡Quiero ver un cangrejo!
- My favorite sea animal is the blue tang fish, because I love Dory from “Finding Nemo”. / Mi animal marino favorito es el pez cirujano azul, porque amo a Dory de “Buscando a Nemo”.
- I think corals are very beautiful. / Creo que los corales son muy bonitos.
- Regina went to the beach, and she said there were many seashells in the sand. / Regina fue a la playa y dijo que había muchas conchas marinas en la arena.
- Did you know that octopuses have eight tentacles? Wow! / ¿Sabías que los pulpos tienen ocho tentáculos? ¡Wow!
- When I grow up I want to be a diver, so I can watch many sea animals up close. / Cuando sea grande quiero ser buzo para ver muchos animales marinos de cerca.
- I want to learn to swim, so I can go to the sea. / Quiero aprender a nadar así puedo ir al mar.
Tips to Learn Sea Animals in Spanish
Watch “Finding Nemo”
“Finding Nemo” – or “Buscando a Nemo”, as it’s called in Spanish – is a classic movie for all children and the whole family. We’re sure you’ve heard about it, and maybe even your kids have watched it too!
It’s about a clownfish, Nemo, who gets lost. So his father, another clownfish, goes on a journey through the sea to look for him with the help of his newly found friend Dory.
This movie takes you to a crossing through the whole sea. You meet many different types of sea animals! So, it’s perfect for your kids to put a face to the animal names learned here.
If they hear “tiburón” while watching a shark, they’ll connect the image to the picture. So they identify the animal easier than just learning from a list.
Plus, it’s fun and it has a lot of heart! And children love learning through enjoyable things and activities.
But, of course, remember to watch the movie in Spanish! If your kids are truly beginners and don’t understand anything, you can add subtitles. Slowly lose them as they start understanding more and more.
Nonetheless, we still recommend you try first without the subtitles. They’ll also understand through context. That is, by watching the animated characters and what they do, as well as the situations that are happening.
Don’t try to learn it all at once; segment the knowledge
We showed you many different words and phrases on this blog. But if you force your kids to learn them all at once, they might get frustrated and bored. Better segment the words in small groups.
For example: You can teach them just five words first. And use those the whole week. That is, speak using those words throughout the whole week and make sure your kids also speak using them. So it truly gets stuck in their brains.
If they notice you’re also speaking in Spanish with those words, they might be more motivated to speak using them themselves. Then, pick another five words and do the same, and so on. Once you’re done with the words, start with the phrases.
Conclusion: Learn them little by little. Most importantly, practice those words and phrases over and over again. Practice makes perfect.
Under the Sea Party!
Is your kids’ birthday coming up? We have a great idea for their birthday party: Under the sea! If they love sea animals, they’ll love this party theme.
But of course, it doesn’t have to be just for their birthday. Maybe you just want to throw a party to see all the family or for your kids to invite their friends over and have some fun. Whatever the occasion, this theme is great for a children’s party.
Invite everyone your kids love and encourage them to come dressed as a sea animal. We recommend you invite many of your kids’ Hispanic friends or friends from language class.
Decorate everything, so everyone gets in the mood and truly feels like they’re in the ocean. Prepare a playlist, many songs can talk about the sea and the ocean, or have words related to it. Make sure the songs are in Spanish.
Most importantly, make the invitation in Spanish and make sure to add that the party will be in Spanish. So everyone comes prepared with their best Spanish skills.
If not everyone that’s coming speaks Spanish, that’s okay. You can allow them to speak some English, while encouraging them to try to add a few Spanish words every now and then. You can prepare some lists of Spanish words related to the sea and sea animals and hand them to those that don’t know the language.
Of course, help your children get prepared to speak Spanish in the party with the words presented here.
TruFluency Kids Help Your Children Sail Through the Spanish Language with Ease
See? Learning Spanish can be fun too! And your kids can learn tons of interesting things. It’s not all about sitting down to memorize grammar rules and vocabulary lists.
We know that very well here at TruFluency Kids! So, if you’re ready for your children to sail through the world of the Spanish language with ease and enjoy the ride, we’re here for you!
Our lessons are for them whether they’re starting their Spanish journey, continuing where they left, or complementing their school Spanish classes.
We have native teachers that will teach them through all kinds of fun activities in Spanish. Students sing, dance, play games, do crafts, read, and even cook during our classes. How cool!
On top of that, we base all our lessons in the Bellieu Method. It consists of encouraging students to speak in their target language in every single class. This way they’ll get tons of Spanish speaking practice, so they’ll achieve Spanish fluency.
Because we know how busy you are, we have flexible schedules, with classes seven days a week from 9 am to 9 pm (CST). Plus, our classes are completely online. So no matter where you are, your kids can study with us.
