der Papi
daddy
A colloquial and affectionate term for one's own father. It is a pet form of Papa.
EXAMPLE
Papi, kannst du mir beim Fahrradreparieren helfen?
Daddy, can you help me fix my bike?
der Papi
daddy
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Meanings
Usage tips
Informal use
'Papi' (daddy) is a very informal and affectionate form of address. It is mainly used by children or in direct family communication, but not in formal situations.
EXAMPLE
Als Erwachsener würde er seinen Vater in einem Geschäftsbrief nicht „Papi“ nennen.
As an adult, he would not call his father 'Papi' (daddy) in a business letter.
Pet form with '-i'
The ending '-i' is a typical way to form pet names in German. Similar to 'Papi' (daddy) for Papa, there is also 'Mutti' (mommy) for Mama or 'Omi' (granny) for Oma.
EXAMPLE
Meine kleine Nichte nennt ihren Vater immer nur „Papi“.
My little niece only ever calls her father 'Papi' (daddy).
Use in a sentence
When addressing your father directly, you use 'Papi' (daddy) without an article. When talking about him, you usually use a possessive article such as 'mein Papi' (my daddy).
EXAMPLE
Papi, liest du mir eine Geschichte vor?
Daddy, will you read me a story?
Compare with
Papi vs Papa
dad
„Papa“ and „Papi“ are affectionate family terms for one’s own father. „Papa“ is the less strongly marked informal form, while „Papi“ explicitly functions as a pet name and sounds especially childish or tender.
Papi
Papi liest mir heute vor dem Schlafengehen eine Geschichte vor.
Daddy is going to read me a story before bed tonight.
Papa
Papa holt mich heute nach der Schule ab.
Dad is picking me up after school today.
In real life
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