What does “la cebra” mean in Colombian Spanish?
Paseo en bici por Bogotá con narración sencilla
A1 Spanish listening practice · Mexican Spanish · Picked for people who know a little
Latin American Spanish, including Colombian, calls a pedestrian crosswalk la cebra (“the zebra”). The name comes from the painted black-and-white stripes that look like a zebra’s coat. Spain prefers the longer paso de cebra (“zebra crossing”) or paso de peatones. American English borrowed the same image less directly: zebra crossings exist mostly in Britain and the Commonwealth, while Americans say “crosswalk.” The Colombian short form la cebra makes for a quick, vivid word that learners pick up fast.
In this clip, a Bogotá bike rider narrates a city ride: “Ahora cruzamos la calle por la cebra” (“Now we cross the street at the zebra”).
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A1 Spanish listening practice video?
How common in written Spanish
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A1. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Latin American driver’s-ed and traffic-school content
- ▸In Colombian children’s books about walking to school
- ▸In Latin American street-safety public-service announcements
- ▸In Latin American sitcoms about city life
- ▸In Spanish-language Google Maps and navigation apps