Quick Answer: The Lord’s Prayer in Spanish is called the Padrenuestro. Here is the standard liturgical text:
“Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo, santificado sea tu nombre; venga a nosotros tu reino; hágase tu voluntad en la tierra como en el cielo. Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día; perdona nuestras ofensas, como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden; no nos dejes caer en la tentación, y líbranos del mal. Amén.”
Full Text, Translation & Pronunciation (Padrenuestro)
🎥 Video Practice: Spanish Lord’s Prayer Pronunciation (Slow to Fast Speed)
Practice Timestamps: 0:05 (Slow) | 1:26 (Medium) | 2:14 (Normal Speed)
📋 Clean Text for Copying:
Catholic Liturgical Text (Most Popular):
Protestant Text (Reina-Valera 1960 — Mateo 6:9-13):
Below is the complete Padrenuestro text (based on Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4), paired line-by-line with its English translation and a US phonetic pronunciation guide:
| Line in Spanish | English Translation | Phonetic Pronunciation (US English) |
|---|---|---|
| Padre nuestro, que estás en el cielo, (RVR1960: Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos) |
Our Father, who art in heaven, | PAH-dreh NWEHS-troh, keh ehs-TAHS ehn ehl SYEH-loh, |
| santificado sea tu nombre; | hallowed be thy name; | sahn-tee-fee-KAH-doh SEH-ah too NOHM-breh; |
| venga a nosotros tu reino; (RVR1960: Venga tu reino) |
thy kingdom come; | VEHN-gah ah noh-SOH-trohs too RAY-noh; |
| hágase tu voluntad en la tierra como en el cielo. | thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | AH-gah-seh too voh-loon-TAHD ehn lah TYEH-rrah KOH-moh ehn ehl SYEH-loh. |
| Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día; (RVR1960: El pan nuestro de cada día, dánoslo hoy) |
Give us this day our daily bread; | DAH-nohs oy NWEHS-troh pahn deh KAH-dah DEE-ah; |
|
perdona nuestras ofensas, (Catholic) or: perdónanos nuestras deudas, (RVR1960) |
and forgive us our trespasses, or: and forgive us our debts, |
pehr-DOH-nah NWEHS-trahs oh-FEHN-sahs, pehr-DOH-nah-nohs NWEHS-trahs DEH-oo-dahs |
|
como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden; (Catholic) or: como también nosotros perdonamos a nuestros deudores; (RVR1960) |
as we forgive those who trespass against us; or: as we forgive our debtors; |
KOH-moh tahm-BYEHN noh-SOH-trohs pehr-doh-NAH-mohs ah lohs keh nohs oh-FEHN-dehn; KOH-moh tahm-BYEHN noh-SOH-trohs pehr-doh-NAH-mohs ah NWEHS-trohs deh-oo-DOH-rehs; |
| no nos dejes caer en la tentación, (RVR1960: Y no nos metas en tentación) |
and lead us not into temptation, | noh nohs DEH-khes kah-EHR ehn lah tehn-tah-SYOHN, |
| y líbranos del mal. (RVR1960: mas líbranos del mal) |
but deliver us from evil. | ee LEE-brah-nohs dehl mahl. |
| Porque tuyo es el reino, y el poder, y la gloria, por todos los siglos. Amén. (Protestant Doxology) | For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. | POHR-keh TOO-yoh ehs ehl RAY-noh, ee ehl poh-DEHR, ee lah GLOH-ryah, pohr TOH-dohs lohs SEE-glohs. ah-MEHN. |
Key Pronunciation Rules for English Speakers:
- The Spanish “J” (in dejes): Pronounced like a soft English “H” in “house” (DEH-khes).
- The Double “RR” (in tierra): Requires a rolled “R” sound against the roof of your mouth (TYEH-rrah).
- The Soft “G” (in hágase): Spoken smoothly like the “g” in “gate”, never hard like “giant” (AH-gah-seh).
Theological Breakdown: Key Spanish Words & Greek Roots
Understanding the specific words chosen in Spanish translations provides rich insight into biblical Greek and Spanish theology:
- Santificado: From the Latin sanctificatus, translating the Greek hagiasthētō (G37). It means “set apart as holy” or “hallowed.”
- Ofensas vs. Deudas (Greek: Paraptōmata vs. Opheilēmata):
- In Roman Catholic liturgy, the prayer uses “ofensas” (offenses/trespasses). This choice highlights the moral offense concept (paraptōmata, “transgressions”), emphasized by Jesus immediately following the prayer in Matthew 6:14.
- In the classic Protestant Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960) translation, the text uses “deudas” (debts) and “deudores” (debtors). This directly reflects the economic debt metaphor (opheilēmata) used in the underlying Greek manuscript text of Matthew 6:12. Both terms convey humanity’s ultimate need for divine mercy.
- Tentación (Greek: Peirasmos): Translates to “temptation” or “testing” (peirasmos). In classical Spanish liturgy, “no nos dejes caer en la tentación” translates literally as “do not let us fall into temptation,” asking God to keep the believer standing during severe trials.
- Líbranos del mal (Greek: Rhyomai): The word mal translates both abstract “evil” and personal “the Evil One” (Satan). Notably, modern Protestant translations like the Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI) render this phrase as “líbranos del maligno” (“deliver us from the Evil One”).
Catholic vs. Protestant Padrenuestro Differences
While the core of the prayer remains identical across traditions, key differences separate Catholic and Protestant recitations:
The Closing Doxology
In Protestant traditions (especially those using the Reina-Valera Bible), the congregation recites the doxology immediately following “y líbranos del mal”:
“Porque tuyo es el reino, y el poder, y la gloria, por todos los siglos. Amén.”
In Catholic Mass, the congregation stops at “y líbranos del mal”. The priest then recites an intervening prayer (the Embolism), after which the congregation responds with a slightly different doxology: “Tuyo es el reino, tuyo el poder y la gloria por siempre, Señor.”
Gospel Accounts: Matthew 6 vs. Luke 11
Matthew’s Gospel provides the longer form delivered during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9–13), which forms the basis for traditional congregational recitation. Luke 11:2–4 records a shorter, more concise form given in response to the disciples asking Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray”:
Translation Philosophies: Reina-Valera vs. Modern Bibles
Modern translations like the Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI) and Catholic liturgical books choose words reflecting contemporary Spanish usage, whereas the historical Reina-Valera retains classic 16th-century vocabulary preferred in traditional Evangelical churches.
Spanish Grammar Breakdown: Addressing God as “Tú”
Why “Tú” Instead of “Usted”?
In Spanish, usted is the formal pronoun used for strangers or authorities, while tú is the informal, intimate pronoun reserved for family and close friends.
In the Spanish Lord’s Prayer, God is universally addressed using tú (“que estás en el cielo”, “tu nombre”, “tu reino”). This highlights that through Christ, believers approach God not as distant subjects to a king, but as children addressing a loving Father.
Voseo Regions (Argentina, Uruguay, Central America)
In everyday speech across Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America, speakers use voseo (vos estás, vos querés). However, when reciting liturgical prayers like the Padrenuestro, churches across all Spanish-speaking nations maintain standard universal Spanish (“que estás en el cielo”).
Historical “Vosotros” in Peninsular Spanish Liturgy
In older liturgical traditions in Spain (Peninsular Spanish), second-person plural forms like vosotros were historically employed in church rites, though modern unified translations across both Spain and Latin America utilize nosotros (“venga a nosotros tu reino”).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it spelled “Padre Nuestro” or “Padrenuestro”?
According to the official guidelines of the Real Academia Española (RAE), both forms are correct. However, “Padrenuestro” (written as a single compound noun) is preferred when referring to the prayer itself as a noun (e.g., “Recitar el padrenuestro”). When quoting scripture directly, it remains two separate words: “Padre nuestro”.
How do you say “The Lord’s Prayer” in Spanish?
In Spanish, the prayer is called El Padrenuestro, taking its name from the opening words “Padre nuestro” (“Our Father”).
Is the Spanish Lord’s Prayer different in Latin America vs. Spain?
The core text of the Padrenuestro is identical across Spain and Latin America. The only subtle differences are regional pronunciation accents (such as the ceceo/seseo of the letter ‘c’ and ‘z’) and translation choices between Catholic liturgical texts and the Protestant Reina-Valera 1960.
Summary & Next Steps
Mastering the Padrenuestro is an essential milestone for studying Biblical Spanish and engaging with Spanish-speaking Christian communities worldwide.
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