Inklingo

How to Say "queen" in Spanish

English → Spanish

reina

/REY-nah//ˈreina/

NounA1General
Use 'reina' when referring to a female monarch or sovereign ruler of a country.
A majestic woman wearing a golden crown and a regal gown, sitting on an ornate red throne.

Examples

La reina de España saludó a la multitud.

The queen of Spain waved to the crowd.

En ajedrez, si pierdes la reina, es difícil ganar.

In chess, if you lose the queen, it's difficult to win.

Fue elegida la reina del carnaval.

She was chosen as the queen of the carnival.

Gender: Rey vs. Reina

Spanish has specific words for male and female rulers. 'El rey' is the king, and 'la reina' is the queen. This is different from some English words where you might add 'female' (like 'female doctor').

Using the wrong gender

Mistake: “Mi país tiene un reina muy viejo.”

Correction: Mi país tiene un rey muy viejo. Use 'rey' for a king (masculine) and 'reina' for a queen (feminine).

dama

DAH-mah/ˈda.ma/

NounB1Specific (Chess)
Use 'dama' specifically when talking about the chess piece that is commonly called the queen in English.
A white chess piece shaped like a Queen with a small crown on top, standing on a checkerboard.

Examples

La dama es la pieza más poderosa en el ajedrez.

The queen is the most powerful piece in chess.

Perdí la dama y tuve que rendirme.

I lost the queen and had to resign.

Game Terminology

Be careful: in chess, the Queen is 'la dama', but the King is 'el rey' (masculine), even though they are often a pair.

Reina vs. Dama

The most common mistake is using 'dama' when you mean a royal ruler. Remember, 'reina' is for monarchs, while 'dama' is exclusively for the chess piece.

Related Translations

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