The word pingüino is believed to have come from the Welsch word pen gwyn, meaning white head. It most likely got its name when early explorers encountered these animals in the Southern Hemisphere and described it as having a white patch around its head.
The word was then adapted into European languages and English. In French the term is pingouin and in English the term is penguin. In Spanish, it eventually became pingüino.
Latin American Pronunciation
European Pronunciation
Pingüino is a masculine noun, and it takes on the following definite and indefinite articles:
- el pingüino = the penguin
- los pingüinos = the penguins
- un pingüino = a penguin
- unos pingüinos = some penguins
Fun Fact:
The word pingüino is one of the few Spanish words in Spanish with an umlaut, the two dots over the “u.” It’s called “diéresis” in Spanish and is placed over the letter u in the combinations “güe” and “güi” to indicate that the u should be pronounced. Normally, in these combinations, the u is silent: guerra (war) or guitarra (guitar). However, when the diéresis is added, as in vergüenza (shame) or bilingüe (bilingual), it signals that the u is vocalized, producing distinct syllables.
You can find pingüinos in the hemisferio sur (Southern Hemisphere), primarily in the icy, cold Antártida (Antarctica). They have a thick layer of grasa (blubber) under their piel (skin) that helps keep them warm in aguas heladas (freezing waters). They also have dense plumas (feathers) that help keep them insulated.
Others live in milder climates along the costas (coasts) of Chile, Argentina, and Peru. You can also find them in the warm temperatures of the Galápagos Islands, near the ecuador (equator). This is the only place where they are found north of the Hemisphere. Pingüinos also live in the climas templados (temperate climates) along the coasts of New Zealand and Australia and in the sub-Antarctic region of the Falkland Islands.
Quiero visitar La Antártida para ver pingüinos.
I want to visit Antarctica to see penguins.
Penguins are carnívoros (carnivores) that feed on other pescados (fish), calamar (squid), and other mamíferos marinos (marine animals). They are excellent swimmers and great divers. It helps them catch prey underwater. They use their alas (wings) as flippers to propel them in the water and they can swim as fast as 22 miles per hour (35 kph), making them some of the fastest underwater swimmers in the animal world.
These charming birds capture our attention because of their anadeos (waddling) and how they slide on their vientres (bellies). Pingüinos are social and live in large colonias (colonies). When they gather as a group, they huddle to protect and keep their huevos (eggs) warm.
Fun Fact:
Pingüino parents are great at teamwork. They take turns cuidando (watching over) their eggs and chicks. In some species, the father carries the egg on his feet under a special flap of skin until it hatches.
Los pingüinos se deslizaron sobre sus vientres sobre el hielo.
The penguins slid on their bellies across the ice.
There are many types of penguins that live in different regions. Here are a few:
- Pingüino emperador =Emperor Penguin: the largest species, known for their black and white appearance and breed during the harsh Antarctic winter
- Pingüino rey =King Penguin: the second-largest penguin species, found on sub-Antarctic islands, known their colorful plumage and orange patches
- Pingüino de Adelia = Adélie Penguin: is small and robust, and lives in Antarctica
- Pingüino saltador = Rockhopper Penguin: found on sub- Antarctic islands and is known for its bold hopping movements across rocks. This small penguin has spiky yellow feathers on its head
- Pingüino de Galápagos =Galápagos Penguin: lives north of the equator in the warm tropical climate of the Galápagos Islands
- Pingüino macaroni = Macaroni Penguin: known for their bright yellow-orange feathers on the sides of their head and found in sub-Antarctic regions
Los pingüinos emperadores caminaron por horas en el frío extremo.
The emperor penguins walked for hours in the extreme cold.
Spanish idioms featuring ‘pingüino‘
Estar como un pingüino en el desierto
Literal translation: To be like a penguin in the desert
English meaning: to feel completely out of place
Estar más frío que un pingüino
Literal translation: To be colder than a penguin
English meaning: to be extremely cold, either physically because of the weather or emotionally, like being distant or indifferent
Parecer un pingüino
Literal translation: to look like a penguin
English meaning: to be dressed in formal or cold-weather clothing, like a tuxedo or thick coat
Caminar como un pingüino
Literal translation: to walk like a penguin.
English meaning: to walk awkwardly or with a waddling gait, like a penguin
