Which one should you use?
The phrase extrañaba a mi papá uses the imperfect tense, which translates to "I used to miss my dad" or "I was missing my dad." If you want to express the present tense "I miss my dad," you should use extraño a mi papá. Additionally, while the verb extrañar is common in Latin America, speakers in Spain more frequently use the phrase echar de menos to express missing someone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term mi papá is a common and affectionate way to refer to a father. For a more formal tone, you can use mi padre to mean "my father". For an informal and endearing way to say "I miss my dad," you can use Extraño a mi papi.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, it is frequent to hear the informal expression Echo de menos a mi viejo/pa to say "I miss my old man/dad".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase extrañaba a mi papá, the word a is known as the "personal a". This is a grammatical requirement in Spanish when the direct object of a verb is a specific person.
How do you pronounce it?
/eɡstɾaɲaba a mi papa/
Did you know?
- The phrase echar de menos used in Spain literally translates to 'to throw away less', though it has nothing to do with discarding objects.
- While extraño means 'I miss' in Latin America, in other contexts the word extraño is an adjective meaning 'strange' or 'weird'.
- The word papá is actually a linguistic guest from French, specifically the Middle French word papa, which entered the Spanish language.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are talking about childhood memories.
- DanielMe sentía muy solo aquel año.I felt very lonely that year.
- Sofía¿Por qué te sentías así, Daniel?Why did you feel that way, Daniel?
- DanielSimplemente extrañaba a mi papá.I simply missed my dad.
- SofíaLo siento mucho, entiendo tu dolor.I am very sorry, I understand your pain.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, mi, papá, CC BY-SA 4.0.
