pasto/zacate

Question

When I use "pasto" (grass) with friends from Sinaloa, they say they use "zacate."

Is this a regional difference?

I thought the two words were synonyms.

Answer 1

In Sinaloa, we call "pasto" or "césped" to the grass in gardens and parks. Normally someone (a "jardinero") take care of it.

We call "zacate" to the grass that grows by itself, in the wild. It is considered a "mala hierba".

Also, "pastura" and "forraje" are the grass used to feed cattle and others animals.

Es curioso que la mala hierba puede ser cual quier planta que a nosotros seres humanos no nos guste. Y muchas veces estas malas hierbas son sumamente bellas en su própia ambiente. - 005faa61, Dec 5, 2009

Answer 2

Pasto translates to grass,lawn pasture. Césped translates to grass, lawn. Zacate translates to grass, forage, hay, maybe they are from a part of Sinaloa where there is more forage type ground cover than grass.