abuelos maternos
/abwelos mateɾnos/from spelling rules
The phrase for maternal grandparents in Spanish is abuelos maternos.
This phrase refers to the parents of a person's mother. You may also use the phrase Abuelos por parte de madre to express the same meaning of 'grandparents on the mother's side'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word abuelos is the plural of abuelo (grandfather) and functions as the collective term for grandparents.
How does it change in a sentence?
While abuelos maternos is the plural collective form, if you wish to refer specifically to a single maternal grandfather, use the masculine singular form abuelo materno.
Did you know?
- The word abuelo comes from the Latin avus, which is a distant relative of the English word 'avuncular' used to describe the relationship of an aunt or uncle.
- In some Latin American cultures, the word abuela is used metaphorically to describe any elderly woman who acts in a nurturing or maternal way, regardless of biological relation.
- While abuelos maternos is grammatically correct, using it in a casual setting can make you sound like a legal document or a police report rather than a family member.
Examples in context
- Mis abuelos maternos son muy cariñosos.My maternal grandparents are very affectionate.
- Fui a pasar el fin de semana con mis abuelitos maternos.I went to spend the weekend with my maternal grandparents.
- Mis abuelos maternos viven en España.My maternal grandparents live in Spain.
- Visito a mis abuelos maternos cada verano.I visit my maternal grandparents every summer.
- ¿Cómo están tus abuelos maternos?How are your maternal grandparents?
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are looking at old family photos.
- MateoMira, aquí están mis abuelos maternos.Look, here are my maternal grandparents.
- SofíaTienen un parecido increíble contigo, Mateo.They look incredibly like you, Mateo.
- MateoSí, soy muy parecido a ellos.Yes, I am very similar to them.
- SofíaEs una foto muy bonita.It is a very beautiful photo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
