mejor profesor
/mexoɾ pɾofesoɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "best teacher" is translated into Spanish as mejor profesor.
The phrase refers to a person who teaches and is considered superior to all others in their field.
Which one should you use?
The word mejor functions as both the comparative "better" and the superlative "best" depending on the context and whether an article is present. For example, when you want to specify "the best teacher," you should include the definite article (el/la) before the phrase.
How does it change in a sentence?
You must adjust the phrase to match the gender and number of the teachers being described. Use mejor profesora if the teacher is female. For a group of male teachers or a mixed-gender group, use the plural form mejores profesores. If you are referring specifically to a group of female teachers, use mejores profesoras.
How do you pronounce it?
/mexoɾ pɾofesoɾ/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, calling someone profesor is a sign of respect used even for people who are not licensed teachers, such as a mentor or a master of a craft.
- The root of mejor comes from a Proto-Indo-European term meaning 'strong' or 'big', rather than a word meaning 'good'.
- In a classroom setting, students in Spain rarely call their teacher profesor to their face, preferring to use profe as a friendly shorthand.
Examples in context
- Es la mejor profesora.She's the best teacher.This sentence is useful for identifying a female teacher using the form mejor profesor.Tatoeba #6674917 by arh, translation #7955956 by shekitten
- La experiencia es la mejor profesora.Experience is the best teacher.This sentence illustrates the metaphorical use of experience as a teacher using the form mejor profesor.Tatoeba #1517232 by alexmarcelo, translation #237982 by CK
- Tom no es el mejor profesor del mundo.Tom isn't the best teacher in the world.This sentence shows how to negate the phrase when talking about a specific person using the form mejor profesor.Tatoeba #13844044 by mervert1, translation #9930494 by CK
- ¡Felicidades por ser el/la mejor profesor/a del colegio!Congratulations on being the best teacher in the school!
- ¡Nuestro/a profe es el/la más guay!Our teacher is the coolest!
- Hoy celebramos a nuestro/a superprofe. ¡Eres el/la mejor!Today we celebrate our super teacher. You are the best!
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are talking about their university courses.
- Lucía¿Quién es tu profesor de historia?Who is your history teacher?
- DanielSe llama Marcos y es el mejor profesor.His name is Marcos and he is the best teacher.
- Lucía¿En serio? He oído que es muy estricto.Really? I've heard he is very strict.
- DanielSí, pero explica todo muy bien.Yes, but he explains everything very well.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mejor, profesor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
