agua tibia
/aɡwa tibja/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for lukewarm water is agua tibia.
Which one should you use?
While agua tibia is the most common way to express this, you may encounter agua templada in more formal or technical contexts, such as in medical instructions or recipes.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase el agua tibia (the lukewarm water), the noun agua is feminine, but it uses the masculine article el in the singular to avoid the phonetic clash between the stressed a sounds.
Did you know?
- The word tibia for lukewarm is a homonym in Spanish, as it is also the exact word used for the 'shin bone' in anatomy.
- The English word 'ea', an archaic term for a small stream or river, is a distant relative of the Spanish word agua. Both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ékʷeh₂.
- If you are describing a person who is indifferent or lacks enthusiasm, you might use the adjective tibio metaphorically, just as an English speaker might use 'lukewarm' or 'tepid' to describe a reaction.
Examples in context
- Me podría traer un vaso de agua tibia, por favor?Could you bring me a glass of lukewarm water, please?
- Bebe un poco de agua tibia.Drink a little bit of lukewarm water.
- Prefiero el agua tibia al agua fría.I prefer lukewarm water to cold water.
- El bebé necesita agua tibia para su biberón.The baby needs lukewarm water for his bottle.
Example conversation
At home in the kitchen, María is preparing a drink for Mateo.
- María¿Quieres agua fría o agua tibia?Do you want cold water or lukewarm water?
- MateoPrefiero un poco de agua tibia, por favor.I prefer a little lukewarm water, please.
- MaríaEstá bien, la preparo ahora mismo.Alright, I will prepare it right now.
- MateoMuchas gracias, María.Thank you very much, María.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries agua, tibia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
