niño tonto
/niɲo tonto/from spelling rules
The English phrase "stupid child" is translated into Spanish as niño tonto.
Which one should you use?
In Spanish, the adjective tonto usually follows the noun niño, whereas in English the adjective precedes the noun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can use the informal forms Niño/a bobo/a or Niño/a idiota. Using bobo instead of tonto can make the insult feel more playful or less harsh, similar to calling a child "silly".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes gender to match the child: use niña tonta for a girl.
How do you pronounce it?
/niɲo tonto/
Did you know?
- One theory suggests tonto comes from the Latin word tondeo, meaning 'to shear'. This implies the word originally described someone who had been shorn like a sheep.
- Depending on the region, tonto can be used as a noun to describe a specific type of naive person, rather than just an adjective for a child.
- Spanish has several words for 'stupid' that vary wildly in intensity, meaning that choosing between tonto, bobo and idiota completely changes the social consequence of the phrase.
Examples in context
- Eres un niño tontoYou are a stupid child
- Ese niño tonto no sabe escuchar.That stupid child does not know how to listen.
- El niño tonto rompió el juguete nuevo.The stupid child broke the new toy.
Example conversation
A mother is scolding her son for a mistake.
- Sofía¡Eres un niño tonto!You are a stupid child!
- AlejandroLo siento, mamá.I am sorry, mom.
- SofíaNo vuelvas a hacer eso.Don't do that again.
- AlejandroNo lo volveré a hacer.I won't do it again.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries niño, tonto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
