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Compadre names the bond between a parent and the godparent they chose - not, as English godfather does, the bond with the child. The institution is called compadrazgo, being named padrino of something means paying for it, and the word is also used for a very close friend.
- Un compadre is your child's godfather - and the word names the bond between the two adults, not between the adult and the child.
- It is also used for a very close friend, and between men in a lot of regions it is simply how you address somebody. Compa is the diluted version.
- Being named padrino of something means paying for it - the cake, the rings, the arras. It is an honor and an invoice at once.
What it means
You have a child, you choose somebody to be their godparent, and from that moment the two of you are compadres. The child gets a padrino; you get a compadre, and the second relationship is the one this word is about.
Used for a friend with no baptism involved it is a compliment rather than a shortcut. It says the friendship is at the level where you would have chosen him, and Mexicans hear that even when nobody is thinking about it consciously.
Literal meaning
Co-father, from the same root as padre. The two of you are co-parents of one child - not in any legal sense, but in the sense the word intends: shared responsibility, and a permanent tie between the adults.
That is the thing English does not have. Godfather points down, at the child. Compadre points sideways, at the other adult, and Mexican Spanish also has comadre for the woman and compadrazgo for the whole arrangement.
Who says compadre to whom
- parentthe godparent they choseThe literal relationship, and the one the word exists for. Permanent, and it outlasts the occasion.
- close friendclose friendThe borrowed use. It says the friendship is at the level where you would have chosen him.
- manman, over decadesThe commonest sight - two men who have used it so long that the original child is grown and rarely mentioned.
- anyonesomebody they just metThe misfire. Not offensive, but it claims closeness you do not have yet. Compa or joven is the word for that.
Is compadre rude, or affectionate?
Warm
- Between actual compadres, for decades, with no name after it
- For a long friendship between adults, borrowing the weight on purpose
- As compadrito, softening a request between two people who are close
Rude
- To somebody you met an hour ago, where it reads as forced
- Piled on thick to somebody you want something from - compadrito, ayúdame - where the closeness is doing sales work
- About a woman, where the word is comadre and getting it wrong is careless
It is not a word that offends. What it can do is claim a closeness the other person has not agreed to, which is a different kind of wrong.
The forms of compadre you'll hear
- compadre / comadreco-parent (male / female)Both fully in use. Comadre has an extra colloquial life as close female friend.
- compadrazgothe institutionThe whole arrangement - choosing, being chosen, and what both sides owe afterwards.
- padrino / madrinagodfather / godmotherThe relationship to the child. Same person, different word depending on who is speaking.
- compabuddyShort for compadre or compañero - both are argued. Warm, casual, and it carries none of the institution.
- ahijado / ahijadagodson / goddaughterThe other half of the system. You have a compadre; he has your ahijado.
- compadritoaffectionate diminutiveUsed between compadres who are close, and occasionally to soften a request.
Can you say compadre to their face?
About someone
Es mi compadre. A statement of relationship, and it usually comes with the occasion attached - bautizó a mi hija, fue padrino de la boda.
To their face
Qué pasó, compadre. Pure address, no name needed, and between long-standing compadres it is most of what they call each other.
The address version is where the borrowed use lives. Calling a friend compadre to his face is warm; describing him as your compadre to somebody else implies the real relationship.
How Mexicans use it
Literally, all the time, and not only for baptisms. Padrinos get named for confirmation, for a fifteenth birthday, for a graduation, and for a wedding - and at a wedding, for specific items: anillos, arras, lazo, cojines, ramo, pastel, música. A family accumulates a great many compadres over the years.
And here is the thing nobody tells a foreigner: being named padrino of something means you pay for it. Padrino de pastel buys the cake. Padrinos de anillos buy the rings. Padrinos de lazo buy the lazo - the loop placed over the couple - and padrinos de arras buy the thirteen coins. Being asked is an honor and an invoice at the same time, and everybody in the room understands both halves. Say yes knowing that.
As an address it needs no name after it. Qué pasó, compadre opens a phone call, and between two men who have used it for twenty years the original child is often long grown and rarely mentioned.
The borrowed use is warm and slightly formal in its warmth. Calling a friend compadre is heavier than compa and lighter than carnal, and it suits a long friendship between adults better than a new one between young people.
Comadre has drifted furthest. Alongside the literal sense it means a close female friend, and es bien comadre said about a man means he gossips - affectionate about half the time. Said about a woman the same sense can be dismissive rather than warm, which is worth knowing before using it.
Between men, compadre as a plain vocative is also just dialect in a lot of places - norteño and ranchero speech, and plenty of working-class male CDMX talk. Not every non-literal use is a deliberate compliment; some of it is simply how men address each other.
Examples
- Qué pasó, compadre. ¿Cómo va todo?Hey compadre. How's everything going?
- Él es mi compadre, bautizó a mi hija.He's my compadre - he's my daughter's godfather.
- Vamos a ser compadres, ya le dije que sí.We're going to be compadres, I already said yes.
- Mi comadre me habló temprano para contarme todo.My comadre called me early to tell me everything.
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
Using it for somebody you just met. It is not offensive, but it claims a level of closeness, and the word for a friendly stranger is compa or joven. Compadre on a first meeting sounds like you are trying to skip several years.
Assuming it is only about religion. Plenty of compadrazgo relationships come from weddings and quinceañeras rather than baptisms, and plenty of people who never go to church have compadres. The institution is social before it is anything else.
Don't sound gringo
the surprising part is who the word is about. english has godfather, which names an adult and a child. compadre names the two adults.
That bond has a name of its own - compadrazgo - and in a lot of Mexican families it is treated as seriously as blood.
Which is why the borrowed use is affectionate rather than casual: calling a friend compadre says you would have chosen him.
Compa is the worn-down version, and it means only buddy.
Where you'll hear it
- A baptism where the padrinos are being chosen weeks before anybody discusses the party
- Two men who have called each other compadre for so long that nobody remembers which child started it
- A phone call that opens with qué pasó, compadre and does not need a name after it
- A wedding where the padrinos are listed on the invitation, by category, and there are eleven
FAQ
What does compadre mean?
Your child's godfather - and specifically, the relationship between you and him. English godfather names the tie to the child; compadre names the tie between the two adults.
What is compadrazgo?
The institution itself: choosing somebody as a godparent, being chosen, and the permanent relationship between the adults that follows. It is a real social structure in Mexico.
What is the difference between compadre and compa?
Weight. Compa is the clipped version and means buddy - available to somebody you met last month. Compadre carries the institution, whether or not there was an actual baptism.
Can you call a friend compadre without being his child's godfather?
Yes, and it is common. It borrows the weight of the real relationship and says the friendship is at that level. It suits a long friendship between adults better than a new one.
What is a comadre?
The female equivalent - the woman you chose as godmother. Colloquially it also means a close female friend, and es bien comadre said about a man means he gossips.
What is the difference between compadre and padrino?
Who is speaking. Un padrino is the child's godfather. El compadre is what the child's parent calls that same man.
Do you need a baptism to have compadres?
No. Padrinos get named for confirmations, quinceañeras, graduations and weddings - and at a wedding for specific items: anillos, arras, lazo, cojines, ramo, pastel, música.
What does being a padrino actually cost?
The item you are padrino of. Padrino de pastel buys the cake, padrinos de anillos buy the rings, padrinos de arras buy the thirteen coins. Being asked is an honor and an invoice at the same time.
What are arras and lazo?
Two things a Mexican wedding has and an English one does not. Las arras are thirteen coins passed between the couple; el lazo is a loop placed over both of them during the ceremony. Each has its own padrinos, who buy them.
Is compadre a bad word?
Safe and affectionate. Two misfires: using it for somebody you barely know, and using it for a woman - that one is comadre.
compadre vs compa, comadre and padrino
compadrevscompa
Short for compadre, or for compañero - both derivations are argued and both are current. Either way it behaves like a diluted compadre: buddy, warm, casual, available to somebody you met last month, and carrying none of the institution.compadrevscomadre
The female equivalent, and it has a second life. Mi comadre is the woman you chose as godmother, and colloquially a close female friend - with a hint of the two of you talking about everybody else. Comadrear is the verb, puras comadres is a room full of it, and about a woman the gossip sense can genuinely sting rather than being affectionate.Page coming sooncompadrevspadrino
The relationship to the child. Un padrino is the godfather; el compadre is what the child's parent calls him. Same man, two words, depending on who is speaking.Page coming sooncompadrevscompadrazgo
The institution itself - the whole system of choosing, being chosen, and what both sides owe each other afterwards. It is a real social structure, not just a word.Page coming soon
Related words
Test yourself
Tap an answer.
Who is your compadre?
You've just met somebody at a party. What do you call him?
The one thing
compadre names the bond between a parent and the godparent they chose, not the one with the child. compadrazgo is the institution - and being named padrino of something means you buy it.
Sources
- DictionarycompadreDiccionario breve de mexicanismos, Academia Mexicana de la LenguaThe academy's entry, kin relation and friend both.
- ResearchEl compadrazgo desde la perspectiva antropológicaAlteridades, UAM (SciELO)Ritual kinship as a field - it names compadrazgo the most widespread form of it, with nearly two hundred studies behind it.
- ResearchEl día del compadre: proyecto sistemas de parentesco en MéxicoDiario de Campo, INAHFieldwork on how the bond is actually chosen and maintained, including that godparents are usually not relatives.
- ResearchAnálisis estructural del compadrazgo yaquiDialnetA structural reading of one community's compadrazgo, and of what each kind of padrino is actually obliged to do.
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