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"Cangrejos" is a form of "cangrejo", a noun which is often translated as "crab". "Arañas" is a form of "arañar", a transitive verb which is often translated as "to scratch". Learn more about the difference between "cangrejos" and "arañas" below.
el cangrejo(
kahng
-
greh
-
hoh
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
a. crayfish
Este río está lleno de cangrejos y son más fáciles de pescar que los del mar.This river is teeming with crayfish and they are easier to catch than crabs.
b. crawfish (United States)
Regionalism used in the United States
Siempre echo unos cangrejos en la barbacoa para mí porque no como carne.I always throw some crawfish on the barbecue for me because I don't eat meat.
arañar(
ah
-
rah
-
nyahr
)A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
1. (to graze)
a. to scratch
La valla metálica me arañó el brazo y tuve que ponerme la antitetánica.The metal fence scratched my arm and I had to get an anti-tetanus injection.
3. (colloquial) (figurative) (to struggle to obtain)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
A phrase used as a figure of speech or a word that is symbolic in meaning; metaphorical (e.g., carrot, bean).
a. to scrape together (money)
Arañamos todo el dinero que podemos para llegar a fin de mes.We scrape together all the money we can to make it to the end of the month.
b. to scrape (grade, pass, tie)
Por suerte, Juanita logró arañar un 4 en el examen.Luckily, Juanita managed to scrape a 4 in the exam.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. to scrape by (financially)
Nunca le pedía plata a su marido. Llevaba la casa arañando con lo que le daba.She never asked her husband for money. She ran the house by scraping by on what he gave her.
b. to scrape through (in an exam)
Había estudiado muy poco y aprobó arañando.She hadn't studied very much at all and just scraped through.
arañarse
A pronominal verb always uses a reflexive pronoun. (e.g., Te ves cansado.).
5. (to graze)
a. to scratch
Sergio se había arañado la mejilla así que le puse una curita.Sergio had scratched his cheek so I put a Band-Aid on it.
