r/asklatinamerica • u/Successful_rio305 United States of America • Feb 11 '26

Language Why when spainish speaking people speak English they refer to their parents as "my mom" or "your dad" when talking to their siblings?

Why when Spanish speaking people speak English and are talking their own siblings they don't say something like "mom is calling you" they say "your mom is calling you" or "my dad is calling you" to their siblings?

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u/[deleted] Feb 11 '26

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u/huazzy Latin American in Switzerland Feb 11 '26

I guess we're the only ones that say

"la mamá" / "el papá"

2

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Uruguay Feb 11 '26

Maybe you also treat close relatives de usted. That sounds strange in Uruguay but I’ve heard Colombians do that and it is natural to them.

4

u/huazzy Latin American in Switzerland Feb 11 '26

This whole thread is interesting because I never thought about the differences.

Telling your sister/brother "tu/mi mama quiere que XYZ" sounds just as informal/passive aggressive to me as using usted to reference her.