# Spanish word for birth certificate **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 18, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586 "2013-08-18T20:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/1 "2013-08-18T20:03:03Z")
Spanish speakers, especially those of Caribbean descent: do you use the word “pede” to mean birth certificate? Where does this word derive? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/2 "2013-08-18T20:19:36Z")
Never heard of it before, but… Here in Puerto Rico the term is: _Certificado de Nacimiento_, or (archaic) _Acta de Nacimiento_. In various other Latin American countries the term is _ **Partida de** Nacimiento_, although in some of them it is also archaic, having been officially replaced but many people continue using it even in official publications. Notice the words: if you were to abbreviate it in initials, it would be P.D.N. In Spanish, “P.D.” is sounded out “pede”. Proper form would be to actually say the whole of any of the three phrases, and people will understand what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/3 "2013-08-18T20:45:41Z")
For future reference (ba da bing), [WordReference.com](http://WordReference.com) is a great resource for these sorts of questions. Any entry starts with several dictionary definitions, then gives a list of links to discussios of the word or phrase in various contexts with contributions by native speakers from various regions. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/4 "2013-08-18T22:33:07Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Never heard of it before, but… > > Here in Puerto Rico the term is: _Certificado de Nacimiento_, or (archaic) _Acta de Nacimiento_. > > In various other Latin American countries the term is _ **Partida de** Nacimiento_, although in some of them it is also archaic, having been officially replaced but many people continue using it even in official publications. > > Notice the words: if you were to abbreviate it in initials, it would be P.D.N. In Spanish, “P.D.” is sounded out “pede”. > > Proper form would be to actually say the whole of any of the three phrases, and people will understand what you mean. P.D. makes sense. I would have said certificado de nacimiento. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/5 "2013-08-19T00:52:35Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Never heard of it before, but… > > Here in Puerto Rico the term is: _Certificado de Nacimiento_, or (archaic) _Acta de Nacimiento_. In the Dominican Republic, they apparently remain archaic – Mrs. Bricker says that _acta de nacimiento_ is what’s used. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/6 "2013-08-19T01:26:19Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In the Dominican Republic, they apparently remain archaic – Mrs. Bricker says that _acta de nacimiento_ is what’s used. Mexico, too. Hate to say it, but sounds like the current Puerto Rican term shows English influence. (A little like how Tex-Mex for “vacuum the carpet” is standard Spanish for “vaccinate the folder”…okay, maybe not _that_ egregious…at least “certificado” makes _logical_ sense…) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/7 "2013-08-19T02:45:03Z")
Hey, it’s archaic _for Puerto Rico_; it used to really refer to the (now notorious in the USA) “long form” filled at the time of birth . What you got later in life yourself was the “Copia Certificada del Acta de Nacimiento”. It did get officially simplified to “certificado de nacimiento” for the sake of ease of translation between US jurisdictions. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/8 "2013-08-19T09:05:23Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Hey, it’s archaic _for Puerto Rico_; it used to really refer to the (now notorious in the USA) “long form” filled at the time of birth . What you got later in life yourself was the “Copia Certificada del Acta de Nacimiento”. It did get officially simplified to “certificado de nacimiento” for the sake of ease of translation between US jurisdictions. Ah, fascinating! Thank you, and my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2013, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-word-for-birth-certificate/666586/9 "2013-08-19T12:10:51Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Ah, fascinating! Thank you, and my apologies. No prob – there was English influence, just deliberate and from the top down 🆒