How to describe nature and landscapes in Spanish

Describe the scenery around you and talk about places you have visited. These 20 nature words lead into flexible patterns for beaches, mountains and other landscapes.

20 nature words for describing a landscape

Beach vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Playa

English

Beach

Cave vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Cueva

English

Cave

Desert vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Desierto

English

Desert

Farm vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Granja

English

Farm

Flowers vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Flores

English

Flowers

Forest vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Bosque

English

Forest

Grass vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Pasto

English

Grass

Island vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Isla

English

Island

Jungle vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Jungla

English

Jungle

Leaves vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Hojas

English

Leaves

Mountain vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Montaña

English

Mountain

Plant vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Planta

English

Plant

River vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Río

English

River

Wave vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Ola

English

Wave

Sky vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Cielo

English

Sky

Sunrise vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Amanecer

English

Sunrise

Sunset vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Atardecer

English

Sunset

Tree vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Árbol

English

Tree

Volcano vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Volcán

English

Volcano

Waterfall vocabulary illustration
Spanish

Cascada

English

Waterfall

Nature words in context

See how each word works in a natural Spanish sentence.

  1. La playa está tranquila a primera hora.The beach is quiet early in the morning.
  2. La cueva permanece fría incluso en verano.The cave stays cold even in summer.
  3. El desierto recibe muy poca lluvia.The desert receives very little rain.
  4. La granja está rodeada de campos verdes.The farm is surrounded by green fields.
  5. Las flores aparecen al comienzo de la primavera.The flowers appear at the beginning of spring.
  6. Un sendero estrecho atraviesa el bosque.A narrow path crosses the forest.
  7. El pasto está mojado por el rocío.The grass is wet with dew.
  8. La isla solo tiene un pueblo pequeño.The island has only one small village.
  9. La jungla alberga miles de especies.The jungle is home to thousands of species.
  10. Las hojas cambian de color en otoño.The leaves change colour in autumn.
  11. La montaña está cubierta de nieve.The mountain is covered in snow.
  12. Esta planta necesita luz indirecta.This plant needs indirect light.
  13. El río pasa junto al pueblo.The river runs beside the village.
  14. Una ola grande llegó hasta las rocas.A large wave reached the rocks.
  15. El cielo está completamente despejado.The sky is completely clear.
  16. Vimos el amanecer desde la cima.We watched the sunrise from the summit.
  17. El atardecer tiñó las nubes de naranja.The sunset turned the clouds orange.
  18. Ese árbol tiene más de cien años.That tree is more than one hundred years old.
  19. El volcán se puede ver desde la costa.The volcano can be seen from the coast.
  20. La cascada cae en una piscina natural.The waterfall falls into a natural pool.

Describing natural places

Use these patterns to say what a place has, describe what you can see and compare different landscapes.

Hay…

There is/are…

Hay un río y una cascada cerca.There is a river and a waterfall nearby.

Se puede ver…

You can see…

Desde aquí se puede ver el volcán.You can see the volcano from here.

Está rodeado de…

It's surrounded by…

El pueblo está rodeado de bosque.The village is surrounded by forest.

Lo más bonito es…

The most beautiful thing is…

Lo más bonito es el atardecer.The most beautiful thing is the sunset.

Parece…

It looks…

La montaña parece muy alta.The mountain looks very high.

A conversation about a hiking trip

  1. Nico¿Cómo fue la excursión a la montaña?How was the trip to the mountain?
  2. AlbaPreciosa. Caminamos por el bosque junto a un río.Beautiful. We walked through the forest beside a river.
  3. Nico¿Visteis la cascada?Did you see the waterfall?
  4. AlbaSí, y después subimos para ver el atardecer.Yes, and then we climbed up to watch the sunset.
  5. Nico¿Había muchas flores y plantas?Were there lots of flowers and plants?
  6. AlbaSí. También vimos un árbol enorme cerca de una cueva.Yes. We also saw an enormous tree near a cave.

Try one in the VocabTally quiz

Choose the English meaning, just as you would while practising in the app.

00

What does this mean in English?

Cascada

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