THE Spanish Word padre, ‘father’, occurs almost as frequently as its female counterpart, especially in idiomatic expressions. Los padres are ‘parents’ or ‘mother and father’, whereas ‘stepfather is el padrastro and ‘father-in-law’ is el suegro. El Padre Nuestro is the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ (‘Our Father’) but ‘Father Christmas’ is Papá Noel and ‘Old Father Time’ is El Tiempo.  Your ‘fatherland’ or ‘home country’ is la patria.

Cute idioms containing the word padre include ¡Mi padre! (‘You don’t say!’) and ¡Eres mi padre! (‘You’re a marvel!’). En menos que se reza un padrenuestro means ‘In no time at all’.

Used adjectivally, se armó un lío padre is the equivalent of ‘there was an almighty row’ and Paco se da una vida padre means ‘Paco lives the life of Riley’.

And the title of this piece? No tiene padre, ni madre, ni perrito que le ladre means ‘He’s all alone in the world.’

Additional glossary

Ladrar – to bark
Un lío – a mess; a row
Un perrito – puppy
Rezar – to pray
La vida – life

© Don Pablo

Don Pablo is Paul Whitelock, a graduate in Spanish and German, a retired Ofsted school inspector and former UK languages teacher. He now lives with his German wife near Ronda and is a freelance journalist, translator and interpreter. Paul can be contacted by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by telephone on (+34) 952 87 40 38 or (+34) 636 52 75 16. www.a1-solutions-spain.com 

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No Tiene Padre, Ni Madre, Ni Perrito Que Le Ladre
Friday, 05 November 2010
THE Spanish Word padre, ‘father’, occurs almost as frequently as its female counterpart, especially in idiomatic expressions. Los...

© 2012 - Secret Andalucia - Guadiaro Valley, near Ronda

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