Skip to content

riña

quarrel

noun RREE-nyah Rare
People & Society Military

Also means

brawl

Usage Note

Riña denotes a heated argument or physical fight and is a common word in police and news reporting: riña callejera (street brawl). The verb is reñir, which irregularly changes the stem vowel: riñe, riñeron. Learners should distinguish riña (a specific altercation) from pelea (a fight, often sporting) and discusión (a verbal disagreement without physical violence).

Examples

"Hubo una riña en el bar."

Natural Translation

There was a brawl in the bar.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Spanish by topic