tía abuela
/tia abwela/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'great aunt' is tía abuela in Spanish.
tía abuela refers to the sister of one's grandmother or grandfather.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tía (aunt) and abuela (grandmother).
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of tía abuela is tías abuelas.
Did you know?
- In some regions, the term tía has evolved into a slang term similar to 'girl' or 'chick' when used among young people in Spain.
- The word tía shares a common ancestor with the Greek word theîos, which originally meant 'divine' or 'god-like'.
- Spanish uses the same word tía for both a biological aunt and a close female family friend who is not related by blood.
Examples in context
- Fui a visitar a mi tía abuela el fin de semana pasado.I went to visit my great aunt last weekend.
- Mi tía abuela es muy cariñosa y siempre nos cuida.My great aunt is very affectionate and always takes care of us.
- ¡Hola, tía abuelita! ¿Cómo estás hoy?Hello, great auntie! How are you today?
- Mi tía abuela vive en Madrid.My great aunt lives in Madrid.
- Ella es mi tía abuela favorita.She is my favorite great aunt.
- Le envié una carta a mi tía abuela.I sent a letter to my great aunt.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are talking about family members at a party.
- Elena¿Conoces a mi tía abuela?Do you know my great aunt?
- AlejandroNo, no la conozco.No, I don't know her.
- ElenaEs una mujer muy simpática.She is a very nice woman.
- AlejandroMe gustaría conocerla.I would like to meet her.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries abuela, tía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
