Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| selfie | /ˈselfi/ | feminine |
| autofotografía | /autofotoɡɾafia/ (from spelling rules) | |
| autofoto | /autofoto/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| selfi | /ˈselfi/ | feminine |
The terms used to describe a photographic self-portrait range from casual anglicisms to formal, descriptive Spanish phrases. You can use the word to refer to the image itself or use related verbs like selfiar or autofotografiar to express the action of taking one.
Which one should you use?
In casual conversation, the anglicism selfie is the most common way to express this. For a more descriptive or formal tone, you might use autofoto or autofotografía. If you want to be very formal, you can use the term autorretrato or the phrase fotografía de uno mismo.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine forms selfie, selfi and autofoto are used as nouns. When pluralizing the anglicism selfie in an informal context, it typically becomes selfis.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈselfi/
Did you know?
- While selfie is widely used, the Royal Spanish Academy suggests the term autofoto as the preferred Spanish alternative to avoid using the English loanword.
- The word autofoto uses the prefix 'auto-', which comes from the Ancient Greek word autós, the same root that gives English the word 'automatic'.
- The spelling selfi is an attempt to adapt the English word to Spanish phonetic rules, replacing the English 'ie' with a single 'i'.
Examples in context
- El jaguar prendió la mano de una muchacha durante un selfi en el zoológico.The jaguar grabbed a girl's hand during a selfie at the zoo.This sentence illustrates the use of selfi in a narrative context.Tatoeba #7818397 by User83002, translation #12884130 by Josephlingo
- Voy a tomar un autorretrato para enviarlo a mi familiaI'm going to take a selfie to send to my family
- ¡Mirad esta increíble selfi que tomé en la playa!Look at this amazing selfie I took at the beach!
- La selfie salió muy bien.The selfie turned out very well.
- ¿Me puedes ayudar con la selfie?Can you help me with the selfie?
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are at a park in front of a fountain.
- MateoSofía, ¿vamos a hacernos una selfie?Sofía, shall we take a selfie?
- Sofía¡Sí, me encanta la idea!Yes, I love the idea!
- MateoMira, la selfie quedó perfecta.Look, the selfie turned out perfect.
- Sofía¡Qué buena foto, Mateo!What a great photo, Mateo!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “selfie” translations and entries selfie, autofoto, selfi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries autofoto, selfi, selfie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
