niña traviesa
/niɲa tɾabjesa/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'naughty girl' is translated into Spanish as niña traviesa.
Use this phrase to describe a girl who behaves badly or is mischievous in a playful way.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of niña (girl) and traviesa (mischievous/naughty).
Which one should you use?
While niña traviesa implies playful mischief, niña mala carries a stronger connotation of being a 'bad' or 'evil' child.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Latin America, the term pilla can be used for a mischievous girl.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, both the noun and the adjective must take the plural suffix '-as'.
How do you pronounce it?
/niɲa tɾabjesa/
Did you know?
- While niña traviesa is safe for children, using the adjective travieso or traviesa in a flirtatious or adult context can change the phrase from 'mischievous' to 'suggestive' or 'sexy'.
- The word traviesa shares an etymological root with the English word 'traverse', as both stem from the idea of crossing or moving through a path in an irregular or wandering way.
- If you use the word pilla to describe a 'naughty girl' in Spain, it sounds much more like a playful nickname than it does in parts of Latin America, where it can sometimes sound more derogatory.
Examples in context
- La niña es muy traviesa y siempre encuentra un modo de divertirse.The girl is very naughty and always finds a way to have fun.
- ¡Esa niña es tan traviesilla! Siempre hace travesuras.That girl is so naughty! She's always up to mischief.
- ¡Qué niña tan traviesa!What a naughty girl!
- Esa niña traviesa escondió mis llaves.That naughty girl hid my keys.
- Mi sobrina es una niña traviesa.My niece is a naughty girl.
- La niña traviesa pintó la pared.The naughty girl painted the wall.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are talking about Sofía's daughter.
- SofíaMira lo que hizo mi hija.Look at what my daughter did.
- Daniel¡Vaya! Es una niña traviesa.Wow! She is a naughty girl.
- SofíaSí, siempre está haciendo travesuras.Yes, she is always playing tricks.
- DanielPero es muy divertida.But she is very funny.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries traviesa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
