tíos abuelos
/tios abwelos/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'great aunt and great uncle' is translated into Spanish as tíos abuelos.
tíos abuelos is used to refer to the siblings of one's grandparents.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of tíos, which means uncles or aunts and abuelos, which means grandparents, literally translating to 'grand-uncles/aunts'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine plural form tíos abuelos is used to refer to a group consisting of both great aunts and great uncles, or a group consisting only of great uncles.
Did you know?
- The word tío can be used as a slang term meaning 'guy' or 'dude' in Spain, meaning you could technically call a stranger a tío without implying they are your uncle.
- While English uses 'great' to move further back in a family tree, Spanish continues this pattern for even older ancestors by adding bis to the root, such as tíos bisabuelos for great-great uncles and aunts.
- In many Spanish speaking cultures, the term tío or tía is often used for any older male or female relative or close family friend, regardless of whether they are a biological great uncle or aunt.
Examples in context
- Mis tíos abuelos viven en Madrid.My great aunt and great uncle live in Madrid.
- ¿Conoces a mis tíos abuelos?Do you know my great aunt and great uncle?
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are looking at old family photographs.
- Mateo¿Quiénes son ellos en la foto?Who are they in the photo?
- SofíaSon mis tíos abuelos.They are my great aunt and great uncle.
- MateoParecen personas muy simpáticas.They look like very nice people.
- SofíaSí, Mateo, lo son.Yes, Mateo, they are.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
