primo político
/pɾimo politiko/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'cousin in law' is primo político in Spanish.
This phrase refers to a person who is either the spouse of your cousin or the cousin of your spouse. It is used to specify that the relationship is through marriage rather than biological descent.
What does it mean word for word?
The term primo político literally translates to 'political cousin'. In this context, the word político is used to denote 'in-law' or a relationship established by marriage.
Which one should you use?
While primo alone refers to a blood relative, adding político clarifies that the person is a relative by marriage.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the cousin in law is female, use prima política. If you are referring to a group of cousins in law, use the plural form primos políticos.
Did you know?
- The word político comes from the Ancient Greek word polī́tēs, meaning 'citizen'.
- Spanish uses the same word político for any 'in-law' relative, such as tío político for an uncle in law. This creates a linguistic category of 'political' family members.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, people might skip the formal político label entirely and simply call their cousin's spouse 'cousin' in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- Este es mi primo político/aThis is my cousin in law
- ¿Conoces al primo político de Antonio?Do you know Antonio's cousin in law?
- Él es mi primo político.He is my cousin in law.
- No conozco a tu primo político.I don't know your cousin in law.
- Mi primo político vendrá a la fiesta.My cousin in law will come to the party.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are talking about a guest for a family dinner.
- Mateo¿Viene tu primo político a cenar?Is your cousin in law coming to dinner?
- LucíaSí, él vendrá con nosotros.Yes, he is coming with us.
- Mateo¡Qué bueno! Me cae muy bien.That's great! I like him a lot.
- LucíaÉl también tiene muchas ganas de verte.He is also looking forward to seeing you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries político, primo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
