sobrina

Sobrina is a feminine noun in Spanish meaning the daughter of one’s brother or sister; in English it is rendered as “niece.” The masculine counterpart is sobrino. The word is used to refer to a female relative and forms the plural sobrinas. Pronunciation is typically so-BREE-na, with the stress on the second syllable in standard Spanish.

Etymology and related terms: sobrina is formed from the root sobr- with the feminine suffix -ina, and it belongs to a set of kinship terms that includes hermano/hermana and tio/tia, among others. The gendered pair sobrino and sobrina parallels other languages’ family vocabulary and is used to distinguish generations and sexes within extended families.

Translations and equivalents: English—niece; French—nièce; German—Nichte; Italian—nipote (feminine la nipote); Portuguese—sobrina. In Spanish, the term is commonly used in both everyday speech and formal contexts to identify a daughter of a sibling.

Usage examples: Mi sobrina estudia medicina. The phrase can indicate either a biological relation or, in some contexts, a close familial or honorary relationship.

See also: kinship terms; family relationships; niece (disambiguation).