Ways to say it
| Spanish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| guardería (infantil) | servicio de | /ɡwaɾdeˈɾia infanˈtil/ (word by word) | masculine |
| wawawasi | masculine | ||
| nido | /ˈnido/ | masculine |
The term refers to daytime supervision.
What does it mean word for word?
The word guardería comes from the verb guardar, meaning 'to keep', 'to guard' or 'to watch over'.
Which one should you use?
For a more formal setting, you might see Centro de cuidado infantil (childcare center) or Centro infantil (children's center). In many Spanish-speaking countries, nido (literally 'nest') is a common, affectionate way to refer to a daycare center or preschool.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal communication, use Centro de cuidado infantil or Centro infantil. For everyday or colloquial speech, nido is an affectionate way to refer to a daycare or preschool center. Nido is an informal term for daycare used in some Latin American countries.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, guardería infantil is a variant for daycare. In Chile and Colombia, the term jardín infantil is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun guardería is feminine, so it takes the feminine article la instead of el.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is servicio de. The IPA is /ɡwaɾdeˈɾia infanˈtil/.
Did you know?
- The word wawawasi is a Quechua-derived term used in some Andean regions, where wawa means 'baby' and wasi means 'house'.
- The term jardín infantil reflects a historical influence from the German 'Kindergarten', which also translates literally to 'children's garden'.
- The suffix -ería in guardería is often used for shops or places of trade, like panadería for a bakery, though here it denotes a place of service.
Examples in context
- Mi hijo asiste a una guardería increíbleMy child attends an amazing daycare
- El centro de cuidado infantil ofrece un ambiente educativoThe childcare center provides an educational environment
- Ella trabaja en un centro infantil de alta calidadShe works in a high-quality daycare center
- Los peques están en un nido muy acogedorThe little ones are in a very cozy daycare
- En la guardería, aprenden a trabajar en equipoIn daycare, they learn to work as a team
- Mi sobrina se divierte mucho en el centro de cuidado infantilMy niece has a lot of fun at the childcare center
Sources
- Wiktionary, “daycare” translations and entries wawawasi, nido, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (guardería, infantil) and can differ in connected speech.
