padrastro

pah-DRAHS-troh

nounmA1

stepfather?a man who is the husband of one's parent

📝 In Action

Mi padrastro y yo nos llevamos muy bien.

My stepfather and I get along very well.

El esposo de mi madre es mi padrastro.

My mother's husband is my stepfather.

Word Connections

Antonyms

padre (father)

Common Collocations

querido padrastro – dear stepfather

💡 Grammar Points

Masculine vs. Feminine

This word is always masculine. To talk about a stepmother, the word changes to 'madrastra'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Don't confuse with Father

Mistake: "Using 'padrastro' to mean 'big father' or 'grandfather'."

Correction: Use 'padrastro' only for a person who joined the family by marrying a parent.

⭐ Usage Tips

Polite Contexts

While 'padrastro' is the correct term, many people in Spain or Latin America simply use the name of the person or 'el esposo de mi mamá' for a softer tone.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: padrastro

Question 1 of 1

If someone says 'Me duele el dedo por un padrastro', what are they complaining about?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

padre(father) - noun

hijastro(stepson) - noun

madrastra(stepmother) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the word 'padrastro' mean or offensive?

Not usually. While some old fairy tales made 'step-parents' sound mean, the word 'padrastro' is the standard, neutral term in Spanish today.

Why is a hangnail called a 'stepfather'?

It's a quirk of history! The ending '-astro' used to mean 'false' or 'imperfect'. A hangnail was seen as an 'imperfect' part of the nail area, just as a stepfather was once described as a 'replacement' for a father.