la mayoría
/la maʝoɾia/from spelling rules
The English word "most" can be translated into Spanish as la mayoría.
la mayoría is used as an adverb to form the superlative. While it can be used to mean "most" in a general sense, it literally translates to "the majority" and is often used when referring to a specific group or a statistical preponderance.
Meaning: forming the superlative (adv)
Which one should you use?
The related forms la mayoría de and muchos can also be used to express the meaning "majority of".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using la mayoría to mean "most of" followed by a noun, you must include the preposition de. Additionally, when la mayoría de is followed by a plural noun, the verb typically agrees with that plural noun rather than the singular la mayoría.
How do you pronounce it?
/la maʝoɾia/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly omit the de after la mayoría when they want to say "most of [something]".
Did you know?
- In legal contexts, la mayoría de edad refers to the 'age of majority'. Here, the word for 'most' describes the legal status of being an adult.
- In Spanish, you can use the word mayor to mean 'older' when talking about siblings, even though it literally means 'bigger'.
- The word mayoría is a direct descendant of the Latin word maior, which means 'bigger'.
Examples in context
- La mayoría de éstos son míos.Most of these are mine.This sentence shows how to use la mayoría to indicate possession.Tatoeba #6863587 by arh, translation #6863394 by CK
- No soy solo yo, es la mayoría.It's not only me, it's most people.This sentence uses la mayoría to refer to a group of people.Tatoeba #1152491 by marcelostockle, translation #1152492 by marcelostockle
- La mayoría de la gente es idiota.Most people are idiots.This sentence demonstrates using la mayoría to describe a group of people.Tatoeba #2990198 by hayastan, translation #2884552 by CK
- La mayoría de las personas están de acuerdo con esta medida.Most people agree with this measure.
- La mayor parte de la población prefiere vivir en el centro de la ciudad.Most of the population prefers to live in the city center.
- La mayor parte de la gente piensa que es una buena idea.Most people think it's a good idea.
- La gran mayoría de mis amigos prefieren el fútbol.Most of my friends prefer soccer.
- En este vecindario, casi todos los niños hablan dos idiomas.In this neighborhood, most children speak two languages.
- 244 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are discussing the students in their class.
- AlejandroLa mayoría de los alumnos aprobaron.Most of the students passed.
- MaríaEs verdad, la mayoría estudió mucho.It is true, most studied a lot.
- Alejandro¿Y qué pasó con ella?And what happened with her?
- MaríaElla no es parte de la mayoría.She is not part of the majority.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, mayoría, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
