el favorito del profesor
/el faboɾito del pɾofesoɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "teacher's pet" is translated into Spanish as el favorito del profesor.
The term describes a student who is perceived to be favored by their teacher.
Meaning: student perceived to be favored by the teacher (noun)
Which one should you use?
While el favorito del profesor is a direct way to express the idea, you can also use the idiomatic expression el consentido to describe a student who receives special treatment or is overly indulged by a teacher.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, it is frequent to hear the phrase la preferida de la profe to mean the teacher's favorite.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the student being referred to. For example, use la favorita del profesor if the student is female.
How do you pronounce it?
/el faboɾito del pɾofesoɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, a student who is a 'teacher's pet' might be mockingly called el lameculos, though this is much more vulgar and aggressive than the English 'teacher's pet'.
- The word profesor is a 'learned borrowing' from Latin. This means it was consciously reintroduced into the language from written Latin texts rather than evolving naturally from Vulgar Latin spoken by common people.
- The word consentido used for a favorite student comes from the verb consentir, which means 'to allow' or 'to permit'. It describes someone who is spoiled because the adult permitted them to do whatever they wanted.
Examples in context
- Enrique siempre hace todo lo posible para ser el favorito del profesor.Enrique always does his best to be the teacher's pet.
- María es una chupamedias, siempre tratando de agradar al profesor.María is such a teacher's pet, always trying to please the teacher.
- ¡Fulanita siempre es la preferida de la profe!Fulanita is always the teacher's favorite!
- No seas el favorito del profesor.Don't be the teacher's pet.
- Todos creen que él es el favorito del profesor.Everyone thinks he is the teacher's pet.
Example conversation
Two students are whispering in the hallway about a classmate.
- JavierJuan siempre responde todo en clase.Juan always answers everything in class.
- LucíaSí, es el favorito del profesor.Yes, he is the teacher's pet.
- JavierEso es muy molesto.That is very annoying.
- LucíaTotalmente de acuerdo.Totally agree.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries del, el, favorito, profesor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
