los cinco mejores
/los θinko mexoɾes/from spelling rules
The English phrase "top five" is translated into Spanish as los cinco mejores.
This phrase refers to a list of the five highest-ranking or best items within a specific category.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase los cinco mejores literally translates to "the five best".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people sometimes use los cinco primeros lugares to refer to rankings as "the top five places". In Spain, the phrase los cinco más destacados can be used to mean "the top five most outstanding".
How does it change in a sentence?
If the items being ranked are feminine nouns, the phrase changes to las cinco mejores. To express the "bottom five" (the five worst), you replace mejores with peores to say los cinco peores.
How do you pronounce it?
/los θinko mexoɾes/
Did you know?
- While English speakers use 'top' to mean 'best', using the word cima (summit) to describe a 'top five' list would sound like you are talking about the peak of a mountain.
- The word cinco is a linguistic 'cousin' to the English word 'quinquennial', as both share a common ancestor in the Latin 'quinque'.
- In some Latin American countries, you might hear el top cinco, which is an anglicism that adopts the English word 'top' directly into the sentence.
Examples in context
- En el informe, se destacan los cinco primeros productos más vendidos.In the report, the top five best-selling products are highlighted.
- El profesor seleccionará a los cinco mejores estudiantes para el premio.The professor will select the top five students for the award.
- Vamos a hablar de los cinco libros favoritos de cada uno.Let's talk about everyone's top five favorite books.
- Los cinco primeros solucionaron el problema de manera eficiente.The top five tackled the problem efficiently.
- Esta ciudad se encuentra entre los cinco mejores destinos turísticos del mundo.This city is among the top five tourist destinations in the world.
- Me gustaría compartir contigo mis cinco películas favoritas.I would like to share my top five favorite movies with you.
- Estos son los cinco mejores libros del año.These are the top five books of the year.
- Estos son los cinco mejores de la clase.These are the top five in the class.
- He seleccionado los cinco mejores platos.I have selected the top five dishes.
- Busco los cinco mejores hoteles de la ciudad.I am looking for the top five hotels in the city.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing their favorite movies.
- Lucía¿Cuáles son los cinco mejores filmes de terror?What are the top five horror movies?
- JavierEs difícil elegir, pero me gustan los clásicos.It's hard to choose, but I like the classics.
- LucíaDime tu lista de los cinco mejores, Javier.Tell me your top five list, Javier.
- JavierEl primero de mi lista es Psicosis.The first one on my list is Psycho.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
