How to Refer to Your Dad in Spanish
Common Ways to Refer to Your Dad
To refer to your dad in Spanish, you need to know two basic terms: papá, which translates directly as dad, and padre, which translates directly as father.
When talking to your dad, it is much more common to use papá. Addressing your dad directly as padre is quite unusual nowadays, but this really depends on the family and the degree of formality with which you would like to address your dad.
When talking about your dad, papá and padre are used interchangeably; however, padre is more common in Spain, while papá is more common in Latin America.
Take a look at these examples!
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In English, the word dad should be capitalized whenever you're using it instead of a person's proper name, e.g. I love you, Dad. Papá, on the other hand, is never capitalized.
Informal Ways to Refer to Your Dad
In English, we have several informal synonyms for dad, such as daddy, pa, and pop. The same goes for Spanish! Let’s learn how to informally refer to your dad in different Spanish-speaking countries!
| Spanish | Region |
|---|---|
| papi | used in all Spanish-speaking countries |
| papito | used in all Spanish-speaking countries |
| papaíto | Spain |
| pai | Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico |
| apá | Central America/Mexico |
| tata | Latin America |
In some Latin American countries, tata means grandpa.
Learn how to talk about all the members of the family with these articles!
