de mediana edad
/de medjana edad/from spelling rules
Middle aged in Spanish is de mediana edad.
The phrase is used to describe a person who is in the period of life between youth and old age.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition de (of), the adjective mediana (medium/middle) and the noun edad (age), literally meaning "of medium age".
Which one should you use?
The informal phrase de cierta edad can be used to mean "of a certain age".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase de mediana edad is invariable and does not change to match the gender or number of the person being described.
Did you know?
- While de mediana edad is the standard term, people often use the word maduro to describe someone in this age group. This word literally means 'ripe' and carries a more positive connotation of being in one's prime.
- The noun edad shares a common ancestor with the English words 'age' and 'eternity'. All three words trace their roots back to the same Proto-Indo-European origin describing a period of time.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, referring to someone as de mediana edad can be seen as overly clinical, as people often prefer vague terms like adulto or maduro.
Examples in context
- Ella era una mujer de mediana edad.She was a middle-aged woman.This sentence uses de mediana edad to describe a woman.Tatoeba #4412141 by marcelostockle, translation #2788502 by patgfisher
- Lo describiría como un hombre de mediana edad con chaqueta amarilla, corbata naranja y camisa rosada.I'd describe him as a middle-aged man in a yellow jacket, orange tie and a pink shirt.This sentence uses de mediana edad to describe a man's appearance.Tatoeba #1672016 by marcelostockle, translation #680671 by Source_VOA
- Tres clases de hombres fracasan a la hora de entender a las mujeres: los hombres jóvenes, los hombres de mediana edad y los ancianos.Three kinds of men fail to understand women: young men, middle-aged men and old men.This sentence uses de mediana edad to categorize a group of men.Tatoeba #5011984 by Shishir, translation #10011006 by DJ_Saidez
- María es una mujer de mediana edad y posee una fuerte ética de trabajo.María is a middle-aged woman and has a strong work ethic.
- Me encontré con Juan, un amigo de cierta edad, en el parque.I ran into Juan, a middle-aged friend, at the park.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are discussing a neighbor they saw in the park.
- Javier¿Viste al hombre de mediana edad en el parque?Did you see the middle aged man in the park?
- SofíaSí, es un hombre muy amable.Yes, he is a very kind man.
- JavierParece un hombre de mediana edad muy activo.He seems like a very active middle aged man.
- SofíaEs cierto, siempre está corriendo.That's true, he is always running.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, edad, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
