tía
/TEE-ah/
aunt
The most common meaning of tía is 'aunt,' referring to the sister of one's mother or father.
📝 In Action
Mi tía Ana es la hermana de mi madre.
A1My aunt Ana is my mother's sister.
Voy a visitar a mis tíos este fin de semana.
A2I'm going to visit my aunt and uncle this weekend.
Le compré un regalo a mi tía por su cumpleaños.
A2I bought a gift for my aunt for her birthday.
💡 Grammar Points
Aunt and Uncle Together
To talk about your aunt and uncle together, you use the masculine plural form: 'mis tíos'. This is a common pattern in Spanish for mixed-gender groups.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the 'a'
Mistake: "Voy a visitar mi tía."
Correction: Voy a visitar a mi tía. When a person is the one receiving the action of a verb, you need to put a little word 'a' right before them. We call this the 'personal a'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Affectionate Forms
You can add '-ita' to the end to make it sound more affectionate, like 'tiíta'. It's like saying 'aunty' in English.
In Spain, tía is frequently used as a slang term meaning 'woman' or 'gal,' especially when addressing a female friend.
tía(Noun)
woman
?An informal term, like 'gal' or 'chick'
,girl
?A casual way to refer to a young woman
dude
?Used to refer to or address a female friend, similar to how 'dude' can be used for anyone in English.
📝 In Action
Oye, tía, ¿qué tal?
B1Hey girl, what's up?
La tía de la caja fue muy amable.
B2The woman at the checkout was very nice.
No conozco a esa tía, ¿quién es?
B1I don't know that woman, who is she?
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using in Formal Situations
Mistake: "Buenos días, tía. ¿Cómo está la directora?"
Correction: Don't use 'tía' in formal contexts like work or school when speaking to superiors. It's strictly for friends and casual situations.
⭐ Usage Tips
It's All About Tone
The meaning of 'tía' can change with your tone of voice. It can be friendly ('¡Hola, tía!'), neutral ('la tía de la tienda'), or even a bit critical ('esa tía...'). Listen to how native speakers use it to get a feel for the context.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: tía
Question 1 of 1
In which sentence does 'tía' most likely mean 'woman' or 'gal', not 'aunt'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it rude to call a woman 'tía' in Spain?
Not usually, among peers and in informal situations! It's very similar to calling a female friend 'girl' or 'dude' in English. However, you would not use it with someone much older than you, a boss, or anyone in a formal setting, as that could be seen as disrespectful.
Can I use 'tía' to mean 'woman' outside of Spain?
It's best not to. This slang meaning is very specific to Spain. In most Latin American countries, 'tía' only means 'aunt', so using it to refer to a stranger would be confusing.