amigo por correspondencia
/aˌmiɡo poɾ koresponˈdenθja/
The English phrase penpal is translated into Spanish as amigo por correspondencia.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase amigo por correspondencia literally translates to friend by correspondence.
Which one should you use?
While amigo por correspondencia is the standard term, it is more formal and descriptive than simply saying amigo.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, Amigo/a epistolar is a formal and literary way to express the concept of a penpal.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female penpal, change the masculine amigo to the feminine amiga to get amiga por correspondencia. For a group of male or mixed-gender penpals, use the plural form amigos por correspondencia.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˌmiɡo poɾ koresponˈdenθja/
Did you know?
- The word amigo shares a root with the Latin verb amō, which means 'to love'.
- While English speakers use 'penpal' for any distance friend, Spanish speakers often distinguish between amigos por correspondencia and amigos virtuales to separate physical mail from digital messaging.
- If you were to use the term amigo epistolar in a casual text message today, you would sound like a character from a historical drama.
Examples in context
- He estado buscando un corresponsal con el que pueda practicar mi español.I have been looking for a penpal with whom I can practice my Spanish.
- Estoy buscando un amigo/a por correspondencia para practicar mi español.I am looking for a penpal to practice my Spanish with.
- Tengo un amigo por correspondencia en Francia.I have a penpal in France.
- ¿Tienes algún amigo por correspondencia?Do you have any penpals?
- Mi amigo por correspondencia vive en Japón.My penpal lives in Japan.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about their hobbies at a cafe.
- Alejandro¿Tienes un amigo por correspondencia?Do you have a penpal?
- SofíaSí, tengo una amiga por correspondencia de Italia.Yes, I have a penpal from Italy.
- Alejandro¡Qué divertido! ¿Le escribes cartas?How fun! Do you write her letters?
- SofíaSí, intercambiamos cartas todos los meses.Yes, we exchange letters every month.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry amigo por correspondencia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amigo, por, CC BY-SA 4.0.
