Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Grass in Spanish: Césped, Hierba, Pasto, and Regional Variations
Césped · noun (masculine) · SEHS-pehd
Grass in Spanish is most precisely césped when referring to a mowed lawn. For grass in a broader, natural sense, hierba (or yerba), pasto, and grama are used depending on the region. Knowing which word fits your audience avoids confusion.
SEHS-pehd — stress on the first syllable. The final -d is soft, almost whispered. Pasto is PAHS-toh, hierba is YEHR-bah, and grama is GRAH-mah.
No pises el césped del parque.
Don't step on the park's grass.
Grass in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for grass, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| césped | grass | SEHS-pehd | Default, widely understood |
| hierba | grass | grass in general, also means herb | |
| yerba | grass | alternate spelling of hierba, common in River Plate region | |
| pasto | grass | Latin America, especially Mexico, Argentina, Colombia | |
| grama | grass | Caribbean, Central America |
How Native Speakers Use Césped
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
A keep-off-the-grass sign
Prohibido pisar el césped.
Keep off the grass.
Césped is the word you will see on signs in parks and public gardens across the Spanish-speaking world.
Mowing the lawn in Mexico
Mi papá corta el pasto todos los domingos.
My dad mows the grass every Sunday.
In Mexico and much of Latin America, pasto is the everyday word for yard grass.
Walking through a field
La hierba estaba mojada por el rocío de la mañana.
The grass was wet from the morning dew.
Hierba is used for wild or unmaintained grass, and also doubles as the word for herbs.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Césped
Using hierba when you mean lawn
Incorrect: Voy a regar la hierba del jardín.
Correct: Voy a regar el césped del jardín.
Hierba usually refers to wild grass or herbs. For a maintained garden lawn, césped (or pasto in Latin America) is more precise and avoids the herb ambiguity.
Confusing grama across regions
Incorrect: In Spain: La grama del parque está muy verde.
Correct: In Spain: El césped del parque está muy verde.
Grama is used mainly in the Caribbean and parts of Central America. In Spain, césped is the standard word for lawn grass. Using grama in Madrid would sound unusual.
Lock in Grass Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Césped used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using césped in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear No pises el césped del parque. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Grass in Spanish
- Which word for grass should I learn first?
- Start with césped for lawn and hierba for grass in general. These are understood everywhere. Then pick up the local term—pasto in Mexico and Argentina, grama in the Caribbean—as needed.
- Does hierba also mean marijuana?
- In slang, yes. Hierba (or yerba) can be a colloquial term for marijuana in some regions, just as grass can in English. Context always makes the intended meaning clear.
- Is césped masculine or feminine?
- Masculine: el césped. Its plural is los céspedes, though you will rarely hear it—people usually refer to a single stretch of lawn.