Mi novia vive en Nueva York
My girlfriend lives in New York
Talking to the camera about a long-distance relationship, the speaker explains that mi novia lives in another city.
From The Office · Spanish audio
Spanish vocabularyA1 · Beginner
How to say "girlfriend" in Spanish
la novia
nounfemininemasculine: el novioalso: bride
"Girlfriend" in Spanish is la novia, so my girlfriend is mi novia. A female friend with no romance involved is una amiga. At a wedding, la novia is the bride, and a boyfriend or groom is el novio.
Hear "novia" in real movie scenes
A long-distance couple and a firm denial. Each video starts and stops on that line.
Ella no es mi novia.
She's not my girlfriend.
His colleague is already pairing them up, and he shuts the idea down firmly with no es mi novia.
From Los cazafantasmas · Spanish audio
Novia, amiga, pareja: who's who
Six words for the people in a relationship, and one that has nothing romantic about it.
| Spanish | English | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| la novia | girlfriend, fiancée, bride | One word for every stage until the wedding day. |
| el novio | boyfriend, fiancé, groom | The male form works the same way. |
| la amiga | friend | A female friend. Nothing romantic is implied. |
| la pareja | partner | Neutral, for any couple, married or not. |
| la prometida | fiancée | More precise than novia once you're engaged. |
| los novios | the couple, the bride and groom | A dating couple, or the two people getting married. |
Tip: You also see the word in vestido de novia, a wedding dress.
Grammar: mi novia, la novia de Rafael
Four points for talking about a girlfriend.
Swap the ending for a boyfriend
la novia, las novias for women. For a man, change -a to -o: el novio, los novios.Mi novia, without la
The possessive takes the article's place: mi novia, tu novia. With a name, use de: la novia de Rafael.Do you have a girlfriend?
¿Tienes novia? In this question Spanish usually leaves out the article. The answer: Sí, tengo novia.Dating: salir con
Salgo con Ana. I'm going out with Ana. Once it's official, people say Son novios.Example sentences
Sentences from the Wordy Spanish course. Tap to listen.
Mi novia vive en Nueva York.
My girlfriend lives in New York.
La novia de Rafael trabaja en un periódico.
Rafael's girlfriend works at a newspaper.
Ella no es mi novia.
She's not my girlfriend.
¿Tienes novia?
Do you have a girlfriend?
Common mistakes
Mistakes learners make with this word, and how to fix them.
✗mi amiga (for your girlfriend)
✓mi novia
Amiga only says you're friends. Novia tells people you're a couple.
✗la mi novia
✓mi novia
Spanish never puts la in front of mi.
✗Mi novia es español
✓Mi novia es española
Nationalities agree with the person, so a woman is española.
Practice: 3 quick exercises
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1 of 3 · Watch and choose
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The other 33 exercises on this topic are in the app.
How to remember it
Novia starts like nova, a star that suddenly shines bright. Picture a new girlfriend lighting up your night sky.
Questions about "girlfriend" in Spanish
How do you say girlfriend in Spanish?
La novia. My girlfriend is mi novia.
What's the difference between novia and amiga?
Novia is a romantic partner and amiga is a friend. Es mi amiga says nothing about dating.
Does novia also mean bride?
Yes. At a wedding, la novia is the bride and el novio is the groom. The setting tells you which meaning fits.
How do you ask "Do you have a girlfriend?" in Spanish?
¿Tienes novia? to a friend, or ¿Tiene novia? when you speak to someone as usted.
