mitad
/mee-TAHD/
📝 In Action
Dame la mitad de tu sándwich, por favor.
A1Give me half of your sandwich, please.
La película se pone interesante en la segunda mitad.
A2The movie gets interesting in the second half.
Pagamos el coche a mitades.
B1We split the cost of the car (we paid for it in halves).
Nos encontramos a mitad de camino.
B1We met halfway (in the middle of the journey).
💡 Grammar Points
Always Feminine: 'la mitad'
'Mitad' is a 'feminine' word in Spanish, which just means you almost always use 'la' with it. Think of it as a set phrase: 'la mitad' (the half).
Saying 'Half of Something'
To say 'half of' something, you need the little word 'de' after 'la mitad'. For example, 'la mitad de la pizza' (half of the pizza) or 'la mitad del día' (half of the day).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing 'mitad' and 'medio'
Mistake: "Quiero mitad un vaso de agua."
Correction: Say 'Quiero medio vaso de agua' or 'Quiero la mitad del vaso de agua'. Use 'medio' right before the thing ('medio vaso'). Use 'mitad' to talk about 'the half' of the thing ('la mitad del vaso'). Both are correct, just different ways to say it!
⭐ Usage Tips
Splitting the Bill
When you want to go 'halves' or 'dutch' on a bill with friends, you can say 'vamos a mitades' or just 'a mitades'.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: mitad
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly says 'I read half of the book'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between 'mitad' and 'medio'?
Think of it this way: 'mitad' is a noun (a thing), meaning 'the half'. 'Medio' is a descriptor, meaning 'half a...'. So you say 'la mitad del día' (the half of the day) but 'medio día' (half a day/midday). They often mean the same thing but are used in different sentence structures.
Can I say 'la media' instead of 'la mitad'?
Usually not for 'half'. 'La media' typically means 'the average' or 'the sock/stocking'. However, for telling time, 'y media' is the standard way to say 'half past', like in 'son las dos y media' (it's 2:30).