medio
“medio” means “half” in Spanish. It has 4 different meanings depending on context:
half
Also: middle, average
📝 In Action
Quiero medio kilo de manzanas, por favor.
A1I want half a kilo of apples, please.
Son las doce y media.
A1It's half past twelve.
Mi hermano es de la clase media.
A2My brother is from the middle class.
El precio medio de una casa aquí es muy alto.
B1The average price of a house here is very high.
somewhat, kind of
Also: half, partly
📝 In Action
La sopa está medio fría.
B1The soup is kind of cold.
Estoy medio cansada hoy.
B1I'm somewhat tired today.
Dejó la puerta medio abierta.
B1He left the door half open.
means
Also: medium, environment, way
📝 In Action
El tren es mi medio de transporte favorito.
A2The train is my favorite means of transport.
Los medios de comunicación tienen mucha influencia.
B1The media has a lot of influence.
Debemos proteger el medio ambiente.
B1We must protect the environment.
No tengo los medios para comprar un coche nuevo.
B2I don't have the means (the money) to buy a new car.
middle
Also: center
📝 In Action
Hay una mesa en el medio de la sala.
B1There is a table in the middle of the room.
No me gusta sentarme en el medio en el cine.
B1I don't like to sit in the middle at the movies.
La casa está en medio de la nada.
B2The house is in the middle of nowhere.
🔀 Commonly Confused With
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "medio" in Spanish:
average→center→environment→half→kind of→means→medium→middle→🗣️ Practice in a Tongue Twister
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: medio
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence is correct? 'My sister is kind of tired.'
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👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes directly from the Latin word 'medius', which meant 'middle', 'half', or 'intermediate'. You can see its family resemblance to many English words that share this root.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it 'La puerta está medio abierta' and not 'media abierta'?
This is a great question because it's a tricky point! In this sentence, 'medio' means 'kind of' or 'partly'. It's describing *how* open the door is, not the door itself. Words that describe actions or states (adverbs) don't change in Spanish. So, even though 'puerta' is feminine, 'medio' stays the same. If you were describing 'half a door' (the object), you would say 'media puerta'.
What's the difference between 'medio' and 'mitad'?
'Medio' is usually an adjective (describing word) meaning 'half', like 'medio limón' (half a lemon). 'Mitad' is a noun (a thing) meaning 'the half', like 'Quiero la mitad' (I want the half). A simple trick: if you can say 'a half' in English, use 'medio/a'. If you can say 'the half', use 'mitad'.