tía
/ˈtia/
tía is the Spanish word for aunty.
tía refers to the sister of one's father or mother, or the wife of one's uncle. It is the standard word for aunt and serves as the direct equivalent of the more affectionate English term 'aunty'. In some Spanish-speaking regions, it is also used colloquially to refer to an older woman or a woman of a certain age, even if she is not a relative.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form of the word is tío. To express the plural, use tías. If you need to be specific about lineage, you can use tía materna for a maternal aunt, tía paterna for a paternal aunt or tía abuela for a great aunt.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtia/
Did you know?
- The word tía descends from the Ancient Greek word theía, which was used to denote a paternal aunt.
- Among certain Spanish-speaking youth subcultures, calling someone tía is a common slang way to say 'girl' or 'friend', similar to 'dude' in English.
- Depending on the region, calling a woman tía can be a subtle insult used to imply she is outdated or 'uncool'.
Examples in context
- Mi tía tiene náuseas.My aunty is feeling sick.This sentence shows how to use tía to describe a relative's physical state.Tatoeba #5130180 by don_ramon, translation #688043 by ulyssemc1
- Juan, me gustaría presentarte a mi tía Ana.Juan, I would like to introduce you to my Aunt Ana.
- Voy a visitar a mi tía materna este fin de semana.I am going to visit my maternal aunt this weekend.
- Le pedí consejo a mi tía paterna sobre el asunto.I asked my paternal aunt for advice on the matter.
- ¡Hola tía! ¿Cómo estás?Hi Aunt! How are you?
- Titi Julia, ¿me cuentas un cuento antes de dormir?Aunt Julia, can you tell me a story before bedtime?
- Felicitaciones a mi tía abuela por su cumpleaños número 90.Congratulations to my great aunt on her 90th birthday.
- Mi tía vive en Madrid.My aunty lives in Madrid.
- ¿Es ella tu tía?Is she your aunty?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are talking about family members.
- DanielSofía, ¿conoces a mi tía?Sofía, do you know my aunty?
- SofíaNo, no la conozco.No, I don't know her.
- DanielEs una mujer muy simpática.She is a very nice woman.
- SofíaEspero conocerla pronto.I hope to meet her soon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tía, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
