adultos
/adultos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "adults" is translated into Spanish as adultos.
adultos refers to people who are fully grown and are no longer children. Note that while related to this concept, the word maduros can also mean "ripe".
Which one should you use?
While adultos refers to the people themselves, the noun adultez is used to refer to the state of being an adult (adulthood).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word can change to adulta to refer to a single female adult, or adultas to refer to a group of female adults.
How do you pronounce it?
/adultos/
Did you know?
- The term mayor de edad is the standard way to say 'an adult' when referring to someone's legal status, rather than simply calling them an adulto.
- While adultos describes biological age, the word mayores is often used in classrooms or settings to distinguish 'adults' from 'minors', even if the people are not old.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, when a person is acting in a way that is not mature, people might say they are behaving like a 'niño' or 'niña' rather than saying they are not being 'adultos'.
Examples in context
- Dos adultos, por favor.Two adults, please.This sentence is useful for ordering for a specific number of adultos.Tatoeba #1307587 by marcelostockle, translation #275751 by sundown
- Enseño francés a adultos.I teach French to adults.This sentence shows the use of adultos in the context of teaching a language.Tatoeba #5755856 by arh, translation #2451606 by CK
- Sami y yo ahora somos adultosSami and I are adults now.This sentence demonstrates the use of adultos when describing a change in life stage.Tatoeba #8939145 by GoiKira, translation #7275634 by OsoHombre
- En esta conferencia, se espera la asistencia de muchas personas adultas.In this conference, the attendance of many adults is expected.
- ¿Qué opinan los adultos sobre este tema?What do the adults think about this topic?
- A los mayores les gusta compartir sus experiencias de vida.Adults like to share their life experiences.
- Mi madre y su amiga son dos mujeres adultas.My mother and her friend are two adult women.
- 36 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are discussing the rules for a local park event.
- Mateo¿Los adultos pueden entrar al parque?Can adults enter the park?
- LucíaSí, Mateo, los adultos pueden entrar libremente.Yes, Mateo, adults can enter freely.
- MateoMe alegra saber eso.I am glad to know that.
- LucíaEs una regla para todos los adultos.It is a rule for all adults.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
