mayor que
/maʝoɾ ke/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "older than" is expressed as mayor que.
The phrase is used to describe someone who has lived for a longer period of time than another person.
Which one should you use?
Use mayor que specifically when comparing the ages of people. For inanimate objects or to describe something that is worn out, use más viejo que.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are comparing age to a specific number or an age group instead of a person, change the phrase to mayor de (for example, mayor de 18 años).
How do you pronounce it?
/maʝoɾ ke/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using más viejo que when referring to a person's age, as this can sound slightly impolite or imply that the person is decrepit.
Did you know?
- The word mayor shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'much' and 'more', stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root *méǵh₂s.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the hermano mayor or hermana mayor often holds a traditional position of authority and responsibility over younger siblings.
- In a legal or formal context, the term mayor de edad is used to describe someone who has reached the legal age of adulthood.
Examples in context
- Soy mayor que tú.I'm older than you.This sentence shows how to use mayor que to state your age relative to another person.Tatoeba #1950211 by marcelostockle, translation #1950216 by marcelostockle
- ¿Eres mayor que Tom?Are you older than Tom?This sentence shows how to use mayor que to ask if someone is older than 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 shows how to use mayor que in a negative statement regarding age.Tatoeba #5926396 by baudelaire, translation #260804 by CM
- El hermano de María es mayor que ella.Maria's brother is older than her.
- Carlos es mayor que Juan.Carlos is older than Juan.
- Juan es más viejo que su amigo Pedro.Juan is older than his friend Pedro.
- Ana es más vieja que Marta.Ana is older than Marta.
- 97 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking about their cousins.
- Javier¿Es Luis mayor que María?Is Luis older than María?
- MaríaNo, Luis es menor que ella.No, Luis is younger than her.
- JavierEntonces, ella es mayor que él.So, she is older than him.
- MaríaExactamente, ella nació antes.Exactly, she was born earlier.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mayor, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
