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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Are you familiar with the Spanish word según? Did you know that it can function as a preposition, a conjunction or even an adverb? Let's explore six meanings of this common Spanish word.

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1. In Accordance With 

As a preposition, the Spanish word según can mean "according to," "in agreement with" or "in accordance with," in the sense of following or abiding by something. Let's see an example of this usage: 

Yo estoy actuando según la ley.

I'm acting in accordance with the law.

Caption 11, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 3 - Part 10

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2. According To

As we see in the following captions, like "according to" in English, the Spanish preposition según can also appear before nouns or personal pronouns to describe what people or entities believe or say.

y según expertos es una de las más antiguas

and according to experts, it's one of the oldest ones,

Caption 25, Amaya Cata de vinos

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Las pirámides, según los abuelos Mayas, no son monumentos

The pyramids, according to the Mayan elders, are not monuments

Caption 47, Guillermo el chamán La tecnología maya

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3. Corresponding With or in Proportion To

This use of según as a preposition is often translated with the English phrase "depending on." In this case, según is often followed by a noun phrase that includes a verb in the subjunctive and describes some variable on which an outcome depends. Let's take a look:

que, según la manera en que respiremos, así va a ser nuestra vida.

as, depending upon the manner in which we breathe, that's how our life is going to be.

Captions 76-77, Ana Teresa La respiración

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Esta planta tiene diferentes nombres según el país en que se encuentre, 

This plant has different names depending on the country in which it is found,

Caption 15, Fermín La plumeria - Part 1

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4. Depending on What or How

In this case, the Spanish word según is classified as a conjunction and is often followed immediately by a verb in the subjunctive mood. Typical translations include "depending on what" or "depending on how," as in the following example:

Let's see one more from the Yabla Spanish library:

Aquí se tira mucho o poco según se mire.

Here a lot or a little is thrown away depending on how you look at it.

Caption 20, Los Reporteros Sembrar, comer, tirar - Part 1

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5. As

There are two ways in which the Spanish conjunction según can function like the English word "as." Let's take a closer look. 

In the way that:

The Spanish word según can be replaced with the English word "as" to say "in the way that," as we see here:

Que según entiendo tampoco estás haciendo con juicio.

Which, as I understand, you're not doing sensibly, either.

Caption 59, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 5 - Part 7

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según dicen algunos, que de ahí proviene el nombre de Coronil.

as some people say, from there comes the name Coronil.

Captions 10-11, Tecnópolis El Coronil

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Simultaneously:

Según can also be translated as "as" as to talk about something that is happening at the same time as something else:

6. It All Depends 

Finally, as we see in the caption below, the word según in Spanish can stand alone as an adverb meaning "depending" or "it all depends."

That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to distinguish the many nuanced uses of the word según in Spanish, and don't forget to write us with your suggestions and comments.

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