Marital Status in Spanish: Vocabulary, Grammar & Examples
Navigating everyday conversations in a foreign language requires a solid grasp of foundational vocabulary. When talking about yourself, your family, or your friends, knowing how to describe marital status in Spanish is an essential skill for beginner learners. Whether you are filling out official forms, making casual conversation, or discussing your family tree, using the correct terms helps you communicate clearly and accurately.
This guide is part of our A1 Family Series, designed to help beginners build practical communication skills step by step. Below, you will find vocabulary breakdown, grammar rules, practical examples, and tips for natural conversation.
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Understanding Marital Status in Spanish
In Spanish-speaking cultures, discussing family and relationships is a natural part of daily conversation. Knowing how to express your marital status correctly ensures you are understood in both social and formal settings.
In Spanish, terms describing relationship status function as adjectives. This means they must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the person or people you are describing.
How to Say Single in Spanish
The most common way to say single in Spanish is soltero for a male and soltera for a female. If you are describing a group of single people, you would use solteros or solteras.
Masculine Singular: soltero
Feminine Singular: soltera
Plural: solteros / solteras
Example Sentences:
Mi hermano está soltero. (My brother is single.)
María es una mujer soltera y feliz. (María is a single, happy woman.)
How to Say Married in Spanish
To describe someone who is married in Spanish, use the word casado (masculine) or casada (feminine).
Masculine Singular: casado
Feminine Singular: casada
Plural: casados / casadas
Example Sentences:
Juan y Ana están casados desde hace cinco años. (Juan and Ana have been married for five years.)
¿Estás casada o soltera? (Are you married or single?)
Expressing Common-Law in Spanish
The concept of a cohabiting partnership or legal civil union without traditional marriage is increasingly common. To describe a common-law in Spanish relationship, you can use terms like unión libre, pareja de hecho, or conviviente.
Unión libre: Free union / common-law partnership (widely used across Latin America).
Pareja de hecho: Registered civil partner (commonly used in Spain).
Conviviente: Cohabitant / partner living together.
Example Sentences:
Ellos no están casados; viven en unión libre. (They are not married; they live in a common-law partnership.)
Somos pareja de hecho desde el año pasado. (We have been a civil partnership since last year.)
Describing Divorced in Spanish
If a marriage has legally ended, the term for divorced in Spanish is divorciado for men and divorciada for women.
Masculine Singular: divorciado
Feminine Singular: divorciada
Plural: divorciados / divorciadas
Example Sentences:
Mi tío está divorciado. (My uncle is divorced.)
Mis padres están divorciados pero se llevan bien. (My parents are divorced but get along well.)
Talking About Being Separated in Spanish
When a couple is no longer together but not legally divorced, the correct word for separated in Spanish is separado (masculine) or separada (feminine).
Masculine Singular: separado
Feminine Singular: separada
Plural: separados / separadas
Example Sentences:
Actualmente, Laura y Carlos están separados. (Currently, Laura and Carlos are separated.)
Ellos están separados, pero aún no firman el divorcio. (They are separated, but haven’t signed the divorce yet.)
Expressing Widowed in Spanish
To describe someone whose spouse has passed away, the word for widowed in Spanish is viudo for a man (widower) and viuda for a woman (widow).
Masculine Singular: viudo
Feminine Singular: viuda
Plural: viudos / viudas
Example Sentences:
Mi abuela es viuda desde 2015. (My grandmother has been a widow since 2015.)
El señor Gómez es viudo y vive con su hijo. (Mr. Gómez is a widower and lives with his son.)
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Grammar Rules: Using Ser vs. Estar with Marital Status in Spanish
One of the most frequent questions A1 Spanish learners ask is whether to use Ser or Estar when talking about relationship status.
In modern Spanish, relationship statuses are almost always used with the temporary state verb Estar:
Yo estoy soltero / soltera.
Ella está casada.
Nosotros estamos divorciados.
Why Estar?
In Spanish grammar, relationship status is viewed as a state or condition rather than an essential, unchangeable identity characteristic.
Exception Note: You may occasionally hear Ser used in highly formal, administrative, or legal contexts (e.g., Mi estado civil es ser soltero). However, in everyday speech and standard conversation, always default to Estar.
Marital Status in Spanish: Relationship Vocabulary
| English Term | Spanish Term (M/F) | Example Verb Usage |
| Single | Soltero / Soltera | Estoy soltero. |
| Married | Casado / Casada | Está casada. |
| Common-law | Unión libre / Pareja de hecho | Viven en unión libre. |
| Divorced | Divorciado / Divorciada | Están divorciados. |
| Separated | Separado / Separada | Estamos separados. |
| Widowed | Viudo / Viuda | Es viuda / Está viuda. |
Practical Conversation Examples for A1 Learners
Here are short dialogues to help you visualize these terms in everyday conversations:
Dialogue 1: Meeting Someone New
Carlos: ¿Tienes familia aquí? (Do you have family here?)
Ana: Sí, mi hermana vive aquí. Ella está casada y tiene dos hijos. (Yes, my sister lives here. She is married and has two children.)
Carlos: ¡Qué bien! ¿Y tú? (That’s great! And you?)
Ana: Yo estoy soltera. (I am single.)
Dialogue 2: Talking About Relatives
Luis: ¿Tus padres viven juntos? (Do your parents live together?)
Elena: No, ellos están divorciados. (No, they are divorced.)
Luis: Comprendo. ¿Y tu abuelo? (I understand. And your grandfather?)
Elena: Él es viudo. Vive con nosotros. (He is a widower. He lives with us.)
Mexican Spanish Slang & Expressions for Marital Status in Spanish
While standard textbook terms like soltero or casado get the point across in formal paperwork, everyday conversations in Mexico are full of colorful slang, humor, and cultural idioms. Adding these expressions to your vocabulary will help you sound much more natural when speaking with locals.
Popular Mexican Expressions for Being Single
In Mexican culture, singlehood is often talked about with humor, playful teasing, or cultural idioms:
Soltero/a codiciado/a: “A highly eligible bachelor or bachelorette.” Used when describing a single person who is considered a great catch.
Example: Mi primo no se quiere casar; dice que es un soltero codiciado. (My cousin doesn’t want to get married; he says he’s an eligible bachelor.)
Quedarse a vestir santos / La quedada: A classic idiom roughly equivalent to “spinster” or “left on the shelf”. Historically referring to unmarried women who spent time dressing saint statues at church, it is used today mostly as lighthearted teasing.
Example: ¡Date prisa o te vas a quedar a vestir santos! (Hurry up or you’re going to end up single!)
Estar libre y sin compromiso: “To be single and ready to mingle” (literally: free and without commitment).
Example: Ella está libre y sin compromiso desde el mes pasado. (She’s free and unattached since last month.)
Slang & Idioms for Being Married or in a Relationship
When Mexicans talk about getting married or settled down, they frequently use vivid local metaphors:
Amarrar el chiquihuite / Ahorcarse: Humorously saying someone “tied the knot” or “hanged themselves” by getting married.
Example: ¿Ya te vas a casar? ¡Ya vas a amarrar el chiquihuite! (Are you getting married already? You’re finally tying the knot!)
Echarse la soga al cuello: Literally “to put the noose around one’s neck.” A very common, humorous way to say someone is getting married and taking on a massive lifelong commitment.
Example: Carlos se casa el sábado; ya se echó la soga al cuello. (Carlos gets married on Saturday; he put the noose around his neck.)
El/La “Peor es Nada”: A funny, informal slang phrase meaning “better than nothing.” It refers playfully to a partner or spouse.
Example: Voy a la fiesta con mi peor es nada. (I’m going to the party with my partner.)
El patron / La patrona: Colloquial terms used affectionately (or sarcastically) to refer to one’s husband or wife (“The Boss”).
Example: Le tengo que pedir permiso a la patrona para ir al fútbol. (I have to ask the boss—my wife—for permission to go to the soccer game.)
Mexican Slang for Common-Law & Breakups
Juntados / Juntarse: Instead of using formal terms like unión libre or pareja de hecho, Mexicans overwhelmingly say estar juntados when a couple lives together out of wedlock.
Example: Ellos no están casados por la iglesia, solo están juntados. (They aren’t married in a church; they just live together.)
Mandaron a volar / Le dieron cortón: Colloquial phrases for being dumped or separated.
Example: A Luis lo mandaron a volar la semana pasada. (Luis got dumped last week.)
Conclusion & Next Steps to Learn Marital Status in Spanish
Mastering terms related to marital status in Spanish provides an essential foundation for expanding your vocabulary within our A1 Family Topic Series. By practicing words like soltero, casado, divorciado, and viudo alongside the correct verb (Estar), you can confidently describe yourself and your loved ones.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Marital Status in Spanish
What verb do you use for marital status in Spanish?
The verb Estar is typically used for relationship states (e.g., Estoy casado, Ella está soltera). In legal documents or formal definitions, Ser may occasionally appear, but Estar is standard for real-world conversation.
What is the Spanish phrase for "marital status"?
The formal phrase for marital status in Spanish is el estado civil. You will frequently encounter this phrase on official paperwork, administrative forms, and job applications.
How do gender endings work with relationship status adjectives?
In Spanish, relationship adjectives change their ending based on who you describe:
Use -o for a male (soltero).
Use -a for a female (soltera).
Use -os for a group of males or mixed group (casados).
Use -as for a group of all females (casadas).
