Despedida de soltera
/despedida de solteɾa/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the English term 'bachelorette' is translated as Despedida de soltera.
While the English word 'bachelorette' can describe the woman herself, in Spanish Despedida de soltera is the standard way to refer specifically to the bachelorette party event.
Meaning: unmarried woman (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'farewell of a single woman', where despedida means farewell or send-off and soltera means single or unmarried woman.
Which one should you use?
To refer to a bachelor party for a man, change the feminine soltera to the masculine soltero to form despedida de soltero.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Colombia, fiesta de soltera can be used interchangeably with despedida de soltera.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective soltera must end in -a to agree with the feminine noun despedida or to refer to a female subject.
How do you pronounce it?
/despedida de solteɾa/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the despedida de soltera is traditionally a tea party or a gathering for bridal shower gifts rather than a night out.
- The word despedida comes from the verb despedir, which can mean both to say goodbye and to fire someone from a job.
- The word soltera is a direct descendant of the Latin 'solitarius', which shares the same root as the English word 'solitary'.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are discussing plans for a friend's party.
- AlejandroElena, ¿ya compraste el regalo para la despedida de soltera?Elena, did you already buy the gift for the bachelorette party?
- ElenaSí, Alejandro, lo compré ayer.Yes, Alejandro, I bought it yesterday.
- AlejandroPerfecto, nos vemos en la despedida de soltera.Perfect, I'll see you at the bachelorette party.
- Elena¡Claro! Va a ser muy divertido.Of course! It's going to be a lot of fun.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
