cuánto mido
/kwanto mido/from spelling rules
The English phrase "how tall I am" is translated into Spanish as cuánto mido.
In Spanish, height is expressed using the verb medir (to measure) rather than the verb ser (to be).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase cuánto mido is a literal translation of "how much I measure".
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the phrase from "how tall I am" to "how tall you are", change the verb mido to mides.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use cuán alto soy by translating word-for-word, but cuánto mido is the natural way to express height.
Did you know?
- While English uses 'tall' to describe people, Spanish uses alto, which can also mean 'loud' when referring to volume. In a noisy room, someone might confuse a comment about a person's height with a request to speak louder.
- The word cuánto shares a common ancestor with the English word 'quantify'. Both words stem from the Proto-Indo-European root used to ask about quantity or degree.
- Spanish speakers typically express height in meters and centimeters, such as un metro setenta y cinco, rather than feet and inches.
Examples in context
- Yo mido 170 cm.I am 170 cm tall.
- Yo mido 5 pies y 8 pulgadas.I am 5 feet 8 inches tall.
- Tengo una estatura de 170 cm.I have a height of 170 cm.
- Tengo una estatura de 5 pies y 8 pulgadas.I have a height of 5 feet 8 inches.
- Soy alto/a.I am tall.
- Soy bajito/a.I am short.
- Soy más alto/a que Juan.I am taller than Juan.
- Soy menos alto/a que María.I am shorter than María.
- No sé cuánto mido.I don't know how tall I am.
- Mira cuánto mido ahora.Look how tall I am now.
- Es increíble cuánto mido.It is incredible how tall I am.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are looking at a height chart in a clinic.
- SofíaNo puedo creer cuánto mido.I cannot believe how tall I am.
- JavierEres muy alta, Sofía.You are very tall, Sofía.
- Sofía¿Tú sabes cuánto mido exactamente?Do you know exactly how tall I am?
- JavierPareces medir un metro ochenta.You look like you are one meter eighty.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuánto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
