older or eldest, younger or youngest

Robert H.C1Kwiziq community member

older or eldest, younger or youngest

Hi,

Little confused.. I read in the examples: 
Mi hijo mayor (my eldest son)
Su hermana menor (her younger sister)

How would 'my older son' (not 'eldest') (context: moving from the youngest to the middle of three sons in age) be said?

How older be different from eldest in these expressions? I know about 'el mejor' or 'el mayor', but I don't see that back here.

Asked 4 years ago
InmaKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hola Robert,

in Spanish we don't make that difference with the comparative and the superlative, so "mi hermano mayor" could be referring to my older brother or my eldest brother. If there is any need to clarify then you'd probably say:

Mi hermano, el mayor, es maestro.  My brother, the eldest, is a teacher.

or

Mi hermano, el mayor de todos, es maestro. My brother, the oldest one, is a teacher.

And the same goes for menor/el menor, el menor de todos.

I hope this clarified it.

Inma

 

Robert H.C1Kwiziq community member

 Muchas gracias por su respuesta

older or eldest, younger or youngest

Hi,

Little confused.. I read in the examples: 
Mi hijo mayor (my eldest son)
Su hermana menor (her younger sister)

How would 'my older son' (not 'eldest') (context: moving from the youngest to the middle of three sons in age) be said?

How older be different from eldest in these expressions? I know about 'el mejor' or 'el mayor', but I don't see that back here.

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your Spanish level for FREE

Test your Spanish to the CEFR standard

Find your Spanish level
I'll be right with you...