Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Pear in Spanish: Pera — Definition, Pronunciation, and Expressions
Pera · noun (feminine) · PEH-rah
Pear in Spanish is pera, a feminine noun. Beyond naming the fruit, pera shows up in idiomatic expressions that are fun to learn.
PEH-rah — two syllables, stress on the first.
Me comí una pera después del almuerzo.
I ate a pear after lunch.
How Native Speakers Use Pera
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
At the market
¿Cuánto cuestan las peras?
How much do the pears cost?
A practical phrase for shopping at a fruit stand.
Describing ripeness
Esta pera está en su punto; ni muy dura ni muy blanda.
This pear is perfectly ripe; not too hard and not too soft.
Estar en su punto is a useful culinary expression.
Idiomatic expression
No le pidas peras al olmo.
Don't ask the impossible. (Literally: Don't ask the elm tree for pears.)
A well-known Spanish proverb meaning you shouldn't expect something from someone or something incapable of providing it.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Pera
Confusing pera with perra
Incorrect: Compré una perra en la frutería.
Correct: Compré una pera en la frutería.
Perra (with double r) means a female dog, not a pear. The single r in pera is essential.
Wrong gender
Incorrect: El pera está verde.
Correct: La pera está verde.
Pera is feminine. Use la pera and match adjective endings accordingly.
Why Pear Matters in Spanish-Speaking Cultures
The expression pedir peras al olmo is one of the most recognized proverbs in the Spanish-speaking world, used to caution against unrealistic expectations.
Lock in Pear 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 Pera used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using pera in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Me comí una pera después del almuerzo. 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 Pear in Spanish
- Is pera always feminine?
- Pera is always feminine in Spanish: la pera, las peras. There is no masculine form for this noun.
- How do I say 'pear tree' in Spanish?
- A pear tree is un peral. Note that peral is masculine even though pera is feminine.
- What does 'ponerse las peras a cuarto' mean?
- This colloquial Spanish expression means to get serious or to lay down the law, often used when someone puts pressure on another person to behave.