rey
/ˈrei/masculine
The Spanish word for king is rey.
rey refers to a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation. You may also see the phrase el rey de la selva (the king of the jungle), which is a common way to refer to a lion. Additionally, the related verb coronar can mean in checkers.
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of rey is reyes. The feminine counterpart to rey is reina.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈrei/
Did you know?
- In Spanish culture, the 'Three Kings' or Los Reyes Magos bring gifts to children on January 6, which is often a more significant celebration than Santa Claus in Spain.
- In certain Spanish-speaking regions, calling someone a rey or reina can be a very informal and affectionate way to address a friend or a child, similar to 'dear' or 'sweetie'.
- In Spanish, the concept of 'king-sized' for beds is usually expressed as tamaño king or cama king, borrowing the English word instead of using rey.
Examples in context
- Fue un buen rey.He was a good king.This sentence is useful for describing a king's character using rey.Tatoeba #1365244 by marcelostockle, translation #1356323 by CK
- El rey no abdicó.The king didn't abdicate.This sentence is useful for discussing a king's abdication using rey.Tatoeba #1011580 by Shishir, translation #9741392 by DJ_Saidez
- El cliente es rey.The customer is king.This sentence is useful for expressing the proverb that the customer is king using rey.Tatoeba #1943728 by marcelostockle, translation #11734334 by Adelpa
- El rey está en su palacio.The king is in his palace
- La corona la lleva el monarca.The crown is worn by the monarch
- Él es el rey de las fiestas.He's the king of parties
- El rey sabio.The wise king
- 213 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are discussing a history book.
- Mateo¿Leíste sobre el rey?Did you read about the king?
- MaríaSí, el rey era muy valiente.Yes, the king was very brave.
- MateoMaría, ¿conoces su historia?María, do you know his story?
- MaríaNo, pero quiero aprender más.No, but I want to learn more.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations and entries rey, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
