King
A more formal word for 'monarch', used for kings or queens. It's a good cognate to know.
A very formal term meaning 'sovereign', referring to the supreme ruler of a state.
This means 'majesty' and is used as a title to address a king directly, as in 'Su Majestad' (Your Majesty).
The king lives in a big castle.
The lion is the king of the jungle.
The king of Spain is visiting Mexico.
To speak with the king, you say 'Your Majesty'.
The word 'rey' is the standard and universally understood term for 'king' across all Spanish-speaking countries.
In casual conversation, 'rey' can be used as a term of endearment, similar to 'dude' or 'man'. For example, '¿Qué onda, mi rey?' (What's up, my king?).
Similar to Mexico, 'rey' is used colloquially as a friendly form of address between men, like 'Che, rey, ¿todo bien?' (Hey man, all good?).
The word is the same, but the pronunciation of the initial 'r' is a stronger trill than in many parts of Latin America. The monarchy is also a more present topic in daily news.
Saying 'la rey' instead of 'el rey'. — 'Rey' is a masculine noun, so it always uses the masculine article 'el'. The feminine equivalent is 'la reina' (the queen).
Addressing a king directly as 'Rey'. — You would not say 'Hola, Rey'. This is incorrect and disrespectful. The proper way to address a king is with his title, 'Su Majestad' (Your Majesty).
Pronouncing 'rey' with a soft English 'r' sound. — The Spanish 'r' at the beginning of a word is a tapped or lightly rolled sound made with the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, like in 'RRAY'.
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