Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| compadre | /komˈpadɾe/ | masculine |
| broder | /bɾodeɾ/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| tío | /ˈtio/ | masculine |
| pibe | /ˈpibe/ | masculine |
| mano | /ˈmano/ | masculine |
These terms are used to refer to a male comrade, a friend or someone who shares one's ideals.
What does it mean word for word?
The word compadre literally means "co-father", referring to the relationship between a child's father and the child's godfather.
Which one should you use?
While compadre can be used colloquially to mean "bro", it carries a more traditional or formal weight of friendship compared to the purely slang forms broder or mano.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term compadre is more traditional and carries more weight, whereas broder, pibe and mano are informal slang.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Tío is a very common way to say "bro" or "dude" in Spain. In the Rioplatense region of South America (Argentina and Uruguay), pibe is a common term for a young man or "bro". In Mexico and parts of Central America, mano is a common slang term for "bro".
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/komˈpadɾe/
When do people say it?
The term broder is a phonetic adaptation of the English word "brother" used in certain Spanish-speaking slang contexts. The term mano serves as a shortened form of hermano.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word tío shares a common ancestor with the Italian word zio and the Portuguese word tio, all stemming from Ancient Greek.
- The term compadre represents a lifelong social bond that is often considered as strong as blood kinship due to the religious role of the godfather.
- In the Rioplatense region, calling someone a pibe can describe a youth, but the term is also deeply tied to the culture of football and street life in Buenos Aires.
Examples in context
- Tío, ¿cómo decías que te apellidas?Bro, what's your last name again?This sentence shows how to use tío to address someone informally.Tatoeba #13882060 by Seael, translation #13882057 by piterkeo
- Ese hombre es un buen compadre.That man is a good comrade.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are talking about a mutual friend.
- MaríaMateo, ¿está aquí tu compadre?Mateo, is your bro here?
- MateoNo, llegó tarde hoy.No, he arrived late today.
- MaríaQué pena, quería saludarlo.That's a shame, I wanted to say hello to him.
- MateoLe diré que lo estabas buscando.I'll tell him you were looking for him.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bro” translations and entries compadre, tío, pibe, mano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries compadre, pibe, tío, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
