тетка
tetka[ˈtɛtka]feminine
The Macedonian word for aunt is тетка (tetka).
тетка refers to a parent's sister or a sister-in-law. Beyond biological relationships, it is also commonly used as a respectful term of address for older women in social contexts, even if they are not related to you.
Meaning: a parent's sister or sister-in-law (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun тетка is feminine. To say "the aunt", add the definite suffix to form тетката. The plural form is тетки. To indicate possession or a relationship (such as "of the aunt" or "the aunt's"), use the preposition на followed by the definite form: на тетката.
How do you pronounce it?
tetka
Did you know?
- In many Balkan social settings, calling a stranger тетка is a way to show respect to an older woman, but if you use it with someone who is not actually much older than you, it might be perceived as an insult to her age.
- While тетка covers many roles, Macedonian has a separate, specific word стрина for the wife of a father's brother. Using тетка for a 'paternal aunt-in-law' is common, but стрина is the precise kinship term.
- The word тетка is derived from the Proto-Slavic *tetъka, which evolved from the even older root *teta.
Examples in context
- Тетка ми е младолика.My aunt looks young.This sentence is useful for describing an aunt using the form тетка.Tatoeba #4373542 by Lepotdeterre, translation #251192 by CK
- Мери му е тетка на Том.Mary is Tom's aunt.This sentence shows how to state a relationship using the form тетка.Tatoeba #4345433 by Lepotdeterre, translation #1030071 by CK
- Внуката личи на тетка си.The niece looks like her aunt.This sentence describes a resemblance between a niece and her aunt using the form тетка.Tatoeba #4084030 by Lepotdeterre, translation #43814 by Swift
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Marija and Aleksandar are talking about their family at home.
- Марија MarijaКоја тетка ти е таа?Koja tetka ti e taa?Which aunt is that?
- Александар AleksandarОва е мојата тетка од мајка.Ova e mojata tetka od majka.This is my aunt from my mother's side.
- Марија MarijaТвојата тетка е многу љубезна.Tvojata tetka e mnogu ljubezna.Your aunt is very kind.
- Александар AleksandarДа, таа е прекрасна личност.Da, taa e prekrasna lichnost.Yes, she is a wonderful person.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations and entries тетка, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries тетка, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
