joven
/kho-ben/
young
As an adjective, joven means 'young', describing the age of a person or thing.
📝 In Action
Mi hermano es más joven que yo.
A1My brother is younger than me.
Es una mujer muy joven de espíritu.
A2She is a very young-at-heart woman.
La población de esta ciudad es bastante joven.
B1The population of this city is quite young.
💡 Grammar Points
One Form for Masculine & Feminine
'Joven' is special because it looks the same whether you're talking about a guy ('un hombre joven') or a girl ('una mujer joven'). You just change the word before it.
Making it Plural
To talk about more than one young thing, you add '-es' to the end, making it 'jóvenes'. For example, 'los chicos jóvenes' (the young boys).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the Plural '-es'
Mistake: "Los estudiante joven son inteligentes."
Correction: Los estudiantes jóvenes son inteligentes. Because 'estudiantes' is plural, 'joven' needs to become plural too by adding '-es'.
As a noun, joven means 'young person' or 'youth'.
joven(Noun)
young person
?general term
youth
?can refer to a young man
,young woman
?can refer to a young woman
,teenager
?often used for this age group
📝 In Action
El joven de la camisa azul es mi primo.
A1The young man in the blue shirt is my cousin.
Una joven me preguntó la hora.
A2A young woman asked me for the time.
Los jóvenes de hoy en día usan mucho el móvil.
B1Young people nowadays use their phones a lot.
💡 Grammar Points
Gender is Shown by 'el' or 'la'
The word 'joven' itself doesn't change gender. You show if you're talking about a male or female by using 'el' or 'un' for a male ('el joven') and 'la' or 'una' for a female ('la joven').
⭐ Usage Tips
What age is a 'joven'?
It's a flexible term! It can mean anyone from a teenager (around 14-15) up to someone in their late twenties. It's more about a life stage than a specific number.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: joven
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'joven' to mean 'a young woman'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'joven' and 'chico'/'chica'?
'Joven' is a bit more general and can sound slightly more formal. It covers a wide age range from teenager to young adult. 'Chico' or 'chica' is more like 'boy' or 'girl' and is very common in casual conversation. You might call a 25-year-old a 'joven', but calling them a 'chico' might sound a little strange depending on the context.
Is 'joven' masculine or feminine?
It's both! The word itself doesn't change. You show the gender with the word that comes before it: 'el joven' (the young man) or 'la joven' (the young woman).