/ˈkomo el ˈpero i el ˈɡato/ lit. ‘like the dog and the cat’
Spanish idiom, everyday. Two people who are always arguing.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use Como el perro y el gato
?
Everyday Spanish everywhere, often about siblings or a couple. It usually follows “llevarse” (“to get along”) or “ser”: “se llevan como el perro y el gato”. Spanish keeps the dog first, the reverse of English “cat and dog”.
Also said llevarse como el perro y el gato, ser como el perro y el gato
Como el perro y el gato
in real sentences
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Son como el perro y el gato.
They fight like cat and dog.
Tatoeba, sentence by termito2nd, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Conviven como el perro y el gato.
They live together like cat and dog.
Tatoeba, sentence by termito2nd, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Como el perro y el gato
come from?
The picture is the old rivalry between dogs and cats, which French, German and Italian also use. English Wiktionary and the RAE list the Spanish simile but give no date, and no early use is recorded.
Mistakes learners make with Como el perro y el gato
Flipping the animals to match English. “Como el gato y el perro” will be understood but sounds off; the set order is perro first.
Other Spanish idioms like Como el perro y el gato
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