padrastro
/paˈdɾastɾo/masculine
The Spanish word for stepfather is padrastro.
Padrastro is the most common and general term used to refer to the husband of one's biological mother who is not one's biological father.
Meaning: husband of one's biological mother, other than one's biological father (noun)
Which one should you use?
While padrastro is the literal translation for stepfather, it can sometimes carry a negative connotation in certain Spanish-speaking cultures, similar to the English sense of a 'wicked stepfather'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In many polite or formal social contexts, a person might avoid the potential stigma of the word padrastro by referring to the man simply as mi padre (my father) or by using his name.
How do you pronounce it?
/paˈdɾastɾo/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American regions, the term padrastro is avoided in favor of papá del corazón, which literally means 'father of the heart'.
- In Spanish, the suffix '-astro' is used to turn a perfectly good noun into a word that implies a substandard or inferior version of the original.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the role of the padrastro is linguistically mirrored by the padrino, who is a godfather but often serves as a secondary father figure.
Examples in context
- Él es mi padrastro.He's my stepfather.This sentence shows how to identify someone as your padrastro.Tatoeba #2396339 by hayastan, translation #2282058 by Hybrid
- Tom odia a su padrastro.Tom hates his stepfather.Tatoeba #10233404 by manufrutos, translation #6439890 by CK
- Mi padrastro era diabético.My stepfather was diabetic.This sentence uses padrastro to describe a past state of health.Tatoeba #4769155 by alegarvid, translation #4499685 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about family at a cafe.
- Sofía¿Cómo está tu padrastro?How is your stepfather?
- MateoÉl está muy bien, gracias.He is doing very well, thank you.
- SofíaMe alegra mucho escuchar eso.I am very happy to hear that.
- MateoÉl es un gran hombre.He is a great man.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stepfather” translations and entries padrastro, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
