cioteczna babcia
The English phrase "great aunt" is translated into Polish as cioteczna babcia.
cioteczna babcia refers to the sister of one's grandmother or grandfather.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form for great aunts is cioteczne babcie. When using the genitive case, for example, to indicate possession or when following the preposition do (to/for), the phrase changes to ciotecznej babci.
Did you know?
- In some traditional Polish rural areas, a great aunt might be called stryjeczna babcia if she is the sister of a paternal grandfather.
- The root of babcia comes from the Proto-Slavic bàba, a word that mirrors the 'ba-ba' sounds infants make in many different language families.
- The word babcia is a diminutive of baba, which in modern Polish can be a blunt or even rude way to refer to an older woman.
Examples in context
- Czy ta starsza pani to twoja cioteczna babcia?Is that elderly lady your great aunt?
Example conversation
Małgorzata and Piotr are looking at an old family photo.
- MałgorzataKto to jest na tym zdjęciu?Who is this in the photo?
- PiotrTo moja cioteczna babcia Maria.This is my great aunt Maria.
- MałgorzataWygląda bardzo elegancko.She looks very elegant.
- PiotrTak, zawsze dbała o swój styl.Yes, she always cared about her style.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries babcia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
