How to Say Dad in Spanish

Co-authored by Juan Diego Balam and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: October 21, 2025 Fact Checked

Looking to brush up on your Spanish? Learning the word for “dad” is a great (and easy!) place to start. We’ve covered all the vocab and slang you need to know across multiple Spanish-speaking regions, so you can sound like an expert in no time. Read on for plenty of new words, cultural tidbits, and pronunciation guides to get started.

Things You Should Know

Papá means “dad,” while padre means “father.”
Papi translates to “daddy,” and can be used to address a father or romantic partner.
Jefe, tata, apá, viejo, and papaíto are all common slang words for “dad.”

Section 1 of 4:

How do you say “dad” or “father” in Spanish?

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Papá (pah-PAH): DadPapá is a common way to say “dad” in nearly all Spanish-speaking countries and regions.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Juan Diego Balam
Spanish Language Coach

Expert Interview} Just don’t forget the accented á at the end—in Spanish, “papa” (also pronounced pah-pah) means “potato.”^{[2]
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Research source} When talking to your father, make sure to put an extra emphasis on the second “pah” of “papá.”^{[3]
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- Example: “¡Hola, Papá!” (oh-laa pah-PAH) means “Hello, Dad!”
- In Puerto Rico, “papá” is a slang word for “man” or “dude.”
- In Chile, “papa” (without the accented á) can be a slang word for a baby’s bottle or a hole in a sock.
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Padre (pah-dreh): FatherPadre officially translates to mean “father,” and is the equivalent of “madre” (mah-dreh), which means “mother.”^{[4]
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Expert Source

Juan Diego Balam
Spanish Language Coach

Expert Interview}^{[5]
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Research source} “Padre” has a more formal tone to it—in fact, the Spanish version of the Lord’s Prayer refers to God as “Padre nuestro” (paa-dray nwehs-troh), or “our Father.”^{[6]
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- Example: “¡Buenos días, Padre!” (bweh-nohs dee-ahs, pah-dreh) means “Good morning, father!”
- In Mexico, “padre” is actually a slang word for “cool,” “nice,” or “good.” If someone says “Qué padre” (keh pah-dreh), they’re actually saying “how nice” or “how cool” rather than “how father.”^{[7]
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Section 2 of 4:

How do you say “daddy” in Spanish?

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Papi (pah-pee) is the Spanish word for “daddy.” Many Spanish-speaking children use “papi” as an affectionate term for their dads, while Spanish-speaking adults even use “papi” as a cute nickname for their partner.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Juan Diego Balam
Spanish Language Coach

Expert Interview} In either case, “papi” translates to “daddy.”^{[9]
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- Example: “¿Hola, Papi! Como estas?” (oh-laa pah-pee, koh-moh ehs-tahs) means “Hello, daddy! How are you?”

Section 3 of 4:

Other Ways to Say “Dad”

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Jefe (heh-fay): Dad“Jefe” officially translates to “boss” or “chief,” but is a slang word for “dad” in Latin American countries like Mexico and Venezuela. In this slang variation, “jefa” (heh-fah) means “mom” and “jefes” (heh-fehs) means “parents” or “folks.”^{[10]
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- Example: “Este es mi jefe” (ehs-teh ehs mee heh-fay) means “This is my dad.”
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Tata (TAH-tah): Pops/Dad“Tata” is a popular slang word for “dad” in several Latin American countries. In Mexico specifically, “tata” can be slang for “grandpa.”^{[11]
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Research source} Some Spanish speakers also use “taita” (tay-tah), which translates to “daddy” or “dad.”^{[12]
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- Example: “Te echo de menos, Tata” (teh eh-cho deh meh-nohs, TAH-tah) means “I miss you, dad.”
- In Spanish-speaking parts of the United States, “tata” means “pop.”
- In Spain, “tata” translates to “babysitter” or “nanny.”^{[13]
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Apá (ah-PAH): Pops/Dad/FatherApá is just what it looks like—“papá” without the “p” at the beginning. It’s a fairly common slang term in parts of Central America, like Mexico, as well as Spanish-speaking parts of the United States. Depending on the context, it can translate to “dad,” “pop,” or “father.”^{[14]
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- Example: “Te quiero, Apá” (teh kee-eh-roh, ah-PAH) means “I love you, dad.”
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Viejo (byeh-hoh): Dad“Viejo” literally means “old man,” but is a fairly common slang term for “dad” in parts of Latin America. In some contexts, it can also be used to refer to a person’s husband.^{[15]
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- Example: “Mi viejo vive aquí” (mee byeh-hoh bee-beh ah-kee) means “My dad/old man lives here.”
- On a similar note, “vieja” (byeh-hah) is a Latin American slang word for “mom.”
- “Viejo” can also mean “granddad.”^{[16]
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Papaíto (pah-pah-ee-toh): Daddy/Pop“Papaíto” is a fairly common slang word for “Daddy” in Spain. In Spanish-speaking parts of the United States, it can also translate to “Pop.”^{[17]
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- Example: “Venga, Papaíto!” (behny-gah, pah-pah-ee-toh) means “Come on, Pop!”

Section 4 of 4:

Words for Fatherly Relatives

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Abuelo (ah-bweh-loh): Grandfather/Grandpa“Abuelo” is the most common way to say “grandfather” or “grandpa” in Spanish. If you’d like to be extra sweet and affectionate, say “abuelito” (ah-bweh-lee-toh) instead.^{[18]
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- Example: “Es ese tu abuelo?” (eh eh-seh too ah-bweh-loh) means “Is that your grandfather?”
- “Yayo” (yah-yoh) and “tito” (tee-toh) are other popular words for “grandpa,” especially in Mexico and Spain.
- Similar to “abuelo,” “abuela” (ah-bweh-lah) is the Spanish word for “grandma,” with “abuelita” (ah-bweh-lee-tah) being a more affectionate term that you can use.
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Padrastro (pah-drahs-troh): StepfatherThe Spanish words for “stepfather” and “stepmother” follow the same pattern as “padre” (pah-dreh) and “madre” (mah-dreh). Just like padre, padrastro translates to “stepfather”; like madre, madrastra means “stepmother.”^{[19]
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- Example: “Conoce a mi padrastro” (koh-no-seh ah mee pah-drahs-troh) means “Meet my stepdad.”
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Suegro (sweh-groh): Father-in-law“Suegro” can be used to address a person’s father-in-law directly, or as a way to refer to them indirectly in a conversation. To say “mother-in-law,” say “suegra” (sweh-grah) instead.^{[20]
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- Example: “Mi suegro es simpático” (mee sweh-groh ehs seem-pah-tee-koh) means “My father-in-law is nice.”

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How do you say "Dad can I please ride my bike" in Spanish?

Janice Tieperman

Community Answer

"Papá, ¿puedo montar en bicicleta por favor?" is the correct way to say that in Spanish.

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