destetar
/desteˈtaɾ/
The Spanish phrase for to wean off is destetar.
The primary use of destetar is biological, referring to the process of gradually stopping a young mammal from drinking its mother's milk. Similar to English, it can also be used metaphorically to describe the process of gradually stopping a dependency on a specific habit or substance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle destetado can be used as an adjective to describe a mammal that has been weaned.
How do you pronounce it?
/desteˈtaɾ/
Did you know?
- Because the root refers to the physical act of nursing, using destetar metaphorically for a person's addiction can sometimes sound more blunt or even slightly crude than the English 'wean off'.
- While destetar is the standard term, some dialects use desmamar as a synonym, derived from mama rather than teta.
- In Spanish, the metaphorical use of destetar can apply to an adult's emotional dependency on a parent, not just chemical substances.
Examples in context
- Para mejorar su salud, el médico recomienda desacostumbrarlo a los alimentos procesados.To improve his health, the doctor recommends weaning him off processed foods.
- La terapia busca desacostumbrar al paciente del consumo excesivo de tabaco.The therapy aims to wean the patient off excessive tobacco consumption.
- Intenta dejar el café poco a poco. No lo dejes de golpe.Try to wean yourself off coffee gradually, don't quit cold turkey.
- Debemos destetar al cachorro pronto.We must wean the puppy soon.
- El veterinario me dijo que debo destetar al gato.The vet told me I must wean the cat.
- Es difícil destetar a los gatitos.It is difficult to wean the kittens.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are discussing their farm animals.
- DanielSofía, ¿cuándo vamos a destetar a los cabritos?Sofía, when are we going to wean the kids?
- SofíaCreo que podemos destetar a los animales mañana.I think we can wean the animals tomorrow.
- DanielPerfecto, prepararé la comida sólida entonces.Perfect, I will prepare the solid food then.
- SofíaMuy bien, Daniel, yo te ayudo.Very well, Daniel, I will help you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry destetar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
