El Día del Padre (Father's Day) is celebrated on el tercer domingo de junio (the third Sunday in June) in both the United States and in many Latin American countries. Let's talk about some Spanish vocabulary and traditions related to this holiday aimed at showing appreciation for fathers and father figures. 

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5 Ways to Say "Father" in Spanish:

Let's start off by learning 5 different ways to say "father" in Spanish, ranging from more formal to less so, and hear them pronounced: 

1. Padre (father)

Mm... ¿y a tu padre, en qué cosas te pareces?

Mm... And your father, how are you like him?

Captions 60-61, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: parecer y parecerse

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2. Papá (dad/papa)

Ayer me llamó mi papá.

My dad called me yesterday.

Caption 53, Carlos y Cyndy La pronunciación en Colombia y Argentina

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3. Pa (dad/pa)

Hola, pa, hola, ma. 

Hi, Dad, hi, Mom.

Caption 30, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 5 - Part 7

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4. Papito (Daddy)

Papito...

Daddy...

Caption 5, X6 1 - La banda - Part 6

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5. Papi 

Sólo un poquito, papi... ¿Sí?

Just a little bit, Daddy... OK?

Caption 8, X6 1 - La banda - Part 6

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Note that the latter two terms can also be used colloquially to say something like "dude" or "baby," depending on the context.

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Father's Day Traditions

Probably the single best way to show appreciation for your dad is simply pasar tiempo con él (to spend time with him). This might entail going out to a meal, which is a common tradition in the United States as well as in Spanish-speaking countries, where it is also traditional to do large family cookouts or asados (barbecues). Alternatively, you might organize some kind of excursión (outing) with dad, like the one Fermín talks about here:

Hoy nos hemos ido de excursión para hacer senderismo,

Today, we've gone on an excursion to hike,

Captions 2-3, Viajando con Fermín El Caminito del Rey - Part 1

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Father's Days Gifts

Giving your dad a little regalo (present) might also help make his day! Hallmark reports that Father's Day is the fourth most popular day to give tarjetas (greeting cards), or make them oneself, which is a common tradition in Mexico. Let's hear this word pronounced:

Por ejemplo, podemos hacer tarjetas para regalos, 

For example, we can make cards for gifts,

Caption 14, Adriana Lettering - Part 

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1. Un tazón (a mug)

2. Unas fotos (some pictures)

Included in this category might be accessories like un albúm (an album) or un portarretratos (a picture frame). Let's listen to the latter term along with the longer term for "pictures":

un portarretratos con la fotografía de mi hijo.

a picture frame with my son's picture.

Caption 30, Ana Carolina Arreglando el dormitorio

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3. Una corbata (a tie)

Qué linda corbata.

What a nice tie.

Caption 2, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 5 - Part 5

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And although a tie is, perhaps, the most popular Father's Day clothing gift, other articles of clothing also rank high on the list, the names for which you can learn in our lesson on articles of clothing in Spanish.

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Kind Words

Finally, you might also offer your father kind words like Te quiero mucho (I love you a lot), Eres el mejor papá del mundo (You're the best dad in the world) or simply Gracias por estar ahí (Thanks for being there). Or, wish him a Happy Father's Day by saying Feliz Día del Padre (Happy Father's Day) or simply ¡Feliz Día, Papá! (Happy Day, Dad!).

That's all for today. If you like learning about holiday vocabulary and traditions in Spanish, we recommend you check out more lessons in our archives related to holidays and celebrations, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.

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