mayor
/maˈʝoɾ/
In Spanish, the word for "older" is mayor.
The term mayor is a common way to say "older" in Spanish.
Meaning: comparative form of old, more old (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use mayor when referring to a person's age, but use más viejo when referring to the age of inanimate objects or to imply someone is "ancient".
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike most comparative adjectives in Spanish that use "más + adjective", mayor is an irregular comparative form used for age. To say "older than", use the form mayor que followed by the person or noun being compared.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈʝoɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say más viejo to mean "older" when talking about people. While grammatically possible, mayor is the standard and more polite way to refer to age.
Did you know?
- The word mayor is also the standard Spanish word for 'mayor' of a city. This is because both meanings originate from the concept of being the 'greater' or 'superior' person.
- The phrase de mayor is used by children to describe what they want to be when they grow up. It translates literally to 'of older', but functions as 'when I am an adult'.
- The word mayor is actually a comparative form of 'great' or 'large' from Latin, rather than being directly related to the word 'old'.
Examples in context
- Soy mayor que tú.I'm older than you.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use mayor to compare yourself to another person.Tatoeba #1950211 by marcelostockle, translation #1950216 by marcelostockle
- ¿Eres mayor que Tom?Are you older than Tom?This sentence is useful for asking a question using mayor to compare someone to a specific person.Tatoeba #4927009 by Shishir, translation #4923659 by CK
- No soy mayor que él.I am not older than he is.This sentence is useful for expressing a negative comparison using mayor.Tatoeba #5926396 by baudelaire, translation #260804 by CM
- El señor González es mayor que yoMr. Gonzalez is older than me
- Mi hermanito ya está mayorcitoMy little brother is growing up
- Mi hermana es más grande que yoMy sister is older than me
- José es más viejo que PedroJose is older than Pedro
- El tío Juan es un mayorazoUncle Juan is considerably older
- 255 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Javier are talking about their siblings.
- MaríaMi hermana es mayor que yo.My sister is older than me.
- JavierYo soy el mayor de mi familia.I am the oldest in my family.
- María¿Tienes un hermano mayor?Do you have an older brother?
- JavierNo, yo soy el mayor.No, I am the oldest.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mayor, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mayor, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
