modales
/moˈdales/masculine, plural
The English phrase 'manners' is translated into Spanish as modales. Wiktionary also lists modales (disused).
Meaning: etiquette (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| modales | /moˈdales/ | masculine, plural |
| modales (disused) | feminine, plural |
The term modales is used to describe whether someone possesses social etiquette or polite behavior, often used in the phrase tener modales (to have manners). For formal contexts regarding politeness and courtesy, you might use cortesía, while etiqueta is used when discussing a formal social code of behavior.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, modales is a universal term for manners. In Spain, the phrase buena educación is commonly used to express 'good manners' rather than 'buenas maneras' and the term Civismo is used specifically to refer to civic behavior and manners in society.
How does it change in a sentence?
modales is a masculine plural noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/moˈdales/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a lack of modales is often described as being malcriado, which literally translates to 'badly raised' or 'badly spoiled'.
- The word cortesía comes from the word corte, meaning 'court'. It originally described the specific manners required to interact with royalty.
- In some contexts, 'good manners' is expressed through the word atención, where being polite is seen as giving 'attention' or 'care' to the person you are interacting with.
Examples in context
- Tom no tiene modales.Tom has no manners.This sentence shows how to say someone lacks manners using modales.Tatoeba #594578 by Shishir, translation #36992 by CK
- Él cuida sus modales.He minds his manners.This sentence shows how to say someone minds their manners using modales.Tatoeba #7228167 by cueyayotl, translation #10967305 by Luornu
- Ella tiene muy buenos modales.She has very good manners.This sentence shows how to say someone has very good manners using modales.Tatoeba #997154 by hayastan, translation #501257 by CK
- El niño tiene muy buenas maneras.The child has very good manners.
- Sigue la etiqueta adecuada en eventos formales.Follow proper etiquette at formal events.
- Tienes buenos modales.You have good manners.
- Es importante tener educación con los demás.It is important to be polite with others.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are discussing a dinner party they attended.
- JavierEsos invitados no tuvieron modales.Those guests had no manners.
- LucíaTienes razón, fueron muy groseros.You are right, they were very rude.
- JavierUn hombre debería tener mejores modales.A man should have better manners.
- LucíaLa educación es muy importante.Good upbringing is very important.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “manners” translations and entries modales, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
