de niño
/de niɲo/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'as a child' is expressed as de niño.
The phrase is used to describe something that happened or was true during the period of a person's childhood. While de niño is a common adverbial phrase, you can also use the clause cuando era niño to express the same temporal context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally constructed using the preposition de (of) and the noun niño (child).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase De Chiquillo/a is an informal way to express 'as a child' used mainly in certain regions of Mexico.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the feminine form de niña if the person being referred to is female, and use the plural form de niños to refer to a group of children. The expression Cuando era pequeño changes to Cuando era pequeña if the speaker is female.
How do you pronounce it?
/de niɲo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use como niño (which means 'like a child' in terms of behavior) instead of de niño to mean 'during one's childhood'.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the term niño is used to refer to a son or daughter regardless of their actual age. A parent might refer to their 40-year-old adult child as mi niño.
- The word niño likely mimics the sounds of a baby's first words. It is thought to be an imitative word, much like the English word 'nanny' or 'nana'.
- In Mexico, the informal version de chiquillo is frequently used. This comes from chico, meaning 'small', and adds a diminutive suffix to make the childhood memory sound more affectionate.
Examples in context
- De niño, solía jugar con mis hermanos en el parque.As a child, I used to play with my siblings in the park.
- De chiquito, siempre tenía una sonrisa en mi rostro.As a child, I always had a smile on my face.
- Cuando era pequeña, siempre jugaba en el parque de mi barrio.When I was little, I always played in the park in my neighborhood.
- De niñez, pasaba los veranos en la playa con mi familia.As a child, I used to spend summers at the beach with my family.
- De chiquillo, siempre me encantaba comer helado.As a child, I always loved eating ice cream.
- Yo era muy tímido de niño.I was very shy as a child.
- De niño, me gustaba mucho jugar al fútbol.As a child, I liked playing soccer a lot.
- Él vivía en un pueblo pequeño de niño.He lived in a small town as a child.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their childhood hobbies at a cafe.
- Lucía¿Qué te gustaba hacer de niño, Daniel?What did you like to do as a child, Daniel?
- DanielMe encantaba dibujar todo el tiempo.I loved drawing all the time.
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Yo era muy deportista de niña.That's great! I was very athletic as a child.
- DanielEso suena muy divertido.That sounds very fun.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, niño, CC BY-SA 4.0.
