mi gemelo
/mi xemelo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "my twin" is translated into Spanish as mi gemelo.
The phrase refers to a person who is one of two children born at the same birth.
Which one should you use?
While gemelo/a is often used for any twin, it specifically implies identical twins, whereas mellizo/a is the technical term for fraternal twins. You can also use Mi hermano/a idéntico/a to emphasize that you have an identical twin.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina and Uruguay, Mi mellizo/a is used to refer specifically to non-identical twins.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the feminine form mi gemela if the twin is female. To refer to multiple twins, use the plural form mis gemelos.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the term los gemelos refers to the calf muscles of the leg, as they are made of two parallel muscle bellies.
- The word gemelo is a distant-looking cousin to the English word 'gimbal', which refers to a pivoted support that allows an object to rotate.
- Beyond people, gemelo describes a matching pair of identical objects, such as two identical buildings in a city.
Examples in context
- Mi hermano gemelo tiene los mismos ojos azules que yo.My twin brother has the same blue eyes as me.
- Voy a salir a cenar con mi hermana gemela esta noche.I'm going out to dinner with my twin sister tonight.
- No puedo entender cómo mi hermano gemelo siempre sabe lo que estoy pensando.I can't understand how my twin brother always knows what I'm thinking.
- Él es mi gemelo.He is my twin.
- Mi gemelo vive en Madrid.My twin lives in Madrid.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are looking at old family photos.
- Alejandro¿Quién es este niño contigo?Who is this boy with you?
- ElenaEs mi gemelo, Julián.He is my twin, Julián.
- Alejandro¡Son muy parecidos!You are very similar!
- ElenaSí, es mi hermano gemelo.Yes, he is my twin brother.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gemelo, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
