novia
/ˈnobja/feminine
The Spanish word for bride is novia.
novia refers to a woman in the context of her own wedding. In more formal contexts, you might use La prometida to refer specifically to a bride-to-be.
Meaning: woman in the context of her own wedding (noun)
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, novia can mean both 'bride' and 'girlfriend'. To refer to the masculine counterparts, use novio, which means both 'groom' and 'boyfriend'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine plural form novios is used to refer to the couple (the bride and groom) together.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈnobja/
Did you know?
- In traditional Spanish weddings, the novia might wear a black dress and veil, a custom that was common in regions like Spain until the mid-20th century.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a bride may wear arras, which are 13 gold or silver coins given to her by the groom during the ceremony.
- The word novia shares a common root with the English word 'novel', as both derive from the concept of something 'new'.
Examples in context
- ¡Aquí llega la novia!Here comes the bride!Tatoeba #786158 by Shishir, translation #6028 by Zifre
- Puede besar a la novia.You may kiss the bride.Tatoeba #1453342 by Shishir, translation #1454027 by Eldad
- Es el padre de la novia.He is the father of the bride.Tatoeba #1239937 by Shishir, translation #5743907 by Cainntear
- La novia llegará pronto.The bride will arrive soon.
- ¡Qué guapa está la novia!The bride looks beautiful!
- Felicidades a la novia y el novio.Congratulations to the bride and groom.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are at a wedding reception.
- Lucía¡Mira qué feliz se ve la novia!Look how happy the bride looks!
- MateoSí, Lucía, es un día increíble.Yes, Lucía, it is an incredible day.
- LucíaMateo, ¿has visto su ramo?Mateo, have you seen her bouquet?
- MateoNo, pero la novia se ve radiante.No, but the bride looks radiant.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bride” translations and entries novia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries novia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
