Spanish word

bebé

Pronunciation

IPA/beˈβe/

Meaning

  • noun (m./f.)baby

Example

¿Cómo está el bebé?

How is the baby?

Illustration for bebé (baby)

More examples

¿Puedes ayudarme a cuidar al bebé?

Can you help me take care of the baby?

Core concept

Newborn or nursing infant who needs frequent feeding, hygiene, and adult care.

Common phrases

  • el bebé recién nacido

    the newborn baby

  • llevar al bebé en brazos

    carry the baby in one's arms

  • dar de comer al bebé

    feed the baby

Similar words

niño: Young child past infancy who walks, plays, and becomes increasingly independent.
hijo: Child who is someone's son or daughter.
recién nacido: Newborn only hours or a few days old, requiring immediate postnatal care.

Definition in Spanish

Niño o niña recién nacido o lactante que necesita alimentación, higiene y atención frecuente por parte de adultos.

Word origin

From French bebé, borrowed into Spanish and ultimately formed by baby-talk reduplication that echoes infant sounds.

Usage tips

  • The acute accent on bebé marks final-syllable stress and remains in the plural (bebés), and grammatical gender follows the baby's sex (el bebé, la bebé).

Other meanings

  • infantnoun
  • newbornnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word