madre y padre
/madɾe i padɾe/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "mother and father" is translated as madre y padre.
This phrase refers to the female and male parents of a person.
Which one should you use?
You can use the masculine plural form los padres to refer to both parents collectively as "the parents".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more informal tone, such as saying "mom and dad", you can use mamá y papá.
How does it change in a sentence?
The conjunction y (and) is used to join the two nouns madre and padre.
How do you pronounce it?
/madɾe i padɾe/
Did you know?
- In some dialects, particularly in parts of Mexico, the word padre is used as an adjective meaning 'cool' or 'great', such as in the phrase está muy padre.
- The English word 'matron' shares the same ancient roots as the Spanish word madre, both descending from the Proto-Indo-European term for a mother.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to use the diminutive forms mamita and papito to show affection, even when speaking to adults.
Examples in context
- Mi padre es mi héroe.My father is my hero.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are talking about their family history.
- MateoTengo una foto de mi madre y padre.I have a photo of my mother and father.
- ElenaSe parecen mucho a ti, Mateo.They look a lot like you, Mateo.
- MateoGracias, Elena. Ellos son muy jóvenes aquí.Thanks, Elena. They are very young here.
- ElenaEs 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries madre, padre, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
