Today’s Spanish word of the day is a two for one: “tío” and “tía”.
“Tío” means “uncle”, and “tía” means “aunt”. The plural “tíos” would normally translate as “aunts and uncles”, unless you’ve specified previously that you’re only talking about uncles.
While they literally mean “uncle” and “aunt”, in Spain the words “tío” and “tía” are used colloquially to refer to people in general, a bit like English “guy”, “dude”, “girl” or “lady”.
The words “tío” and “tía” ultimately come from Greek thios (“father or mother’s brother”) and thias (“father or mother’s sister”) respectively.
Example sentences
Tengo un tío que es músico.
I have an uncle who’s a musician.
Ese tío me cae muy bien.
I really like that guy.
Tía, no me lo puedo creer.
Girl, I can’t believe it.
Tu tía siempre tiene buenos consejos.
Your aunt always gives good advice.
¿Qué pasa, tío? ¿Todo bien?
What’s up, man? Everything okay?
