One of the most common mistakes that foreign speakers make is to confuse the words bebe and bebes. If you have made this kind of mistake, do not worry; we will try to teach you how to correctly use these two words. This article will give you a basic idea of the difference between bebe and bebes in Spanish.
Summary Table
| Bebe | Bebes |
| Referring to younger children, formal | Referring to older children, informal |
| Singular form, noun | Plural form, adjective |
| Precedes a noun | Follow a noun or adjective |
Definitions
Bebe is a diminutive form of the word bebé, which means boy or girl baby or child. If a baby is 6 months old or younger, he/she is called bebé. Bebe has also come to be used as a way of referring to a child who is between the ages of 3 and 5 years old.
Bebes (female plural) has come to refer to the female babies. Bebes is also used as a way of referring to a woman who is between the ages of 12 and 14 years old. Bebes is also used when the person in question has not yet been born but will be soon.
Bebe vs Bebes
The first difference between bebe and bebes is the number. Bebe has one meaning, to be cute or a baby. Bebes can have several meanings, such as a group of babies or young children. The first word form is used in Spain and almost everywhere in Latin America, while the second is used in Spain and in English-speaking countries.
Bebe is a noun meaning “child”, whereas bebes is an adjective that means “of, pertaining to, or an infant”. In other cases, bebe is a noun which means, “infant” or “baby” in the singular form, while bebes is the plural form.
For example, if you are speaking of a baby then you would say “mi bebé es muy tierno” (my baby is very cuddly). On the other hand, when you are talking of more people in the same way you say “los bebes son muy inteligentes” (the babies are very intelligent).
Moreover, bebe always precedes a noun, whereas bebes can follow a noun or an adjective. In Spanish, the first “e” in bebe sounds like an “i”, whereas the “e” in bebes sounds like an “a”.
Bebe is used in a more formal context and has the same meaning as bebé. However, if we want to use it in a more informal way, we can replace this word with its informal equivalent bebes or with the word “little one”. Bebes is also used in an intimate context, but not as a synonym for bebe. In this case, it is used as a diminutive or affectionate form of the word “beast” to refer to a little beast.
