medio
/ˈmedjo/
The Spanish phrase medio can mean 'middle' or 'half'.
In an informal context, medio can act as a filler word meaning 'kind of' or 'sort of' to express approximation or uncertainty. The phrase medio ambiente is the standard way to say 'environment'.
Which one should you use?
While medio can mean 'half', it is also used to refer to the 'middle' or 'center' of something, such as in the phrase en medio de (in the middle of). When you want to refer to the middle or center of something, especially describing physical locations, you can use centro as a formal alternative.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a noun or adjective meaning 'half', the form must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. Use medio for masculine nouns and media for feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmedjo/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word medio is a direct borrow from Latin 'medius' rather than a natural evolution through Old Spanish. This happened because the original inherited forms looked too much like the verb 'mear', which means 'to urinate'.
- When referring to a spiritual medium who speaks to the dead, Spanish uses medio as a calque from the Latin word medium.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying someone is medio followed by an adjective is a common way to soften a criticism or be polite.
Examples in context
- Estoy medio cansado hoy.I'm kind of tired today.
- El pastel está medio crudo.The cake is half-raw.
- La puerta está medio abierta.The door is half-open.
Example conversation
Mateo and María are talking in the living room.
- Mateo¿Estás bien, María?Are you okay, María?
- MaríaNo, estoy medio mareada.No, I am kind of dizzy.
- MateoYo también me siento medio mal.I also feel kind of bad.
- MaríaVamos a descansar un poco.Let's rest a little bit.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry medio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries medio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
