A brightly colored illustration showing a small child politely shaking the hand of an adult woman as a sign of good manners.

modos

moh-dohs

NounmB1

manners?behavior, politeness

Also:ways?a person's mannerisms or attitude,tone?referring to the attitude in someone's speech

📝 In Action

Es un niño con muy buenos modos, siempre dice 'por favor' y 'gracias'.

He's a child with very good manners, he always says 'please' and 'thank you'.

No me gustan sus modos; es una persona muy arrogante.

I don't like his ways; he's a very arrogant person.

¡Qué modos son esos de hablarle a tu madre!

What kind of tone is that to use with your mother!

Word Connections

Synonyms

maneras (manners)
comportamiento (behavior)

Antonyms

grosería (rudeness)

Common Collocations

buenos/malos modos – good/bad manners
de todos modos – anyway, in any case
de ningún modo – by no means, no way

Idioms & Expressions

de todos modos – Used to mean 'anyway' or 'in any case', often to move on from a topic or add a final thought.

💡 Grammar Points

Always Plural for Manners

'Modos' is the plural of 'modo'. When you're talking about someone's politeness or behavior, you almost always use this plural form. Think of it like 'manners' in English, which is also plural.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using Singular for Behavior

Mistake: "Ella tiene buen modo."

Correction: Ella tiene buenos modos. For politeness and general behavior, the plural form 'modos' is the natural and correct choice.

⭐ Usage Tips

More Than Just Politeness

While 'buenos modos' means 'good manners,' just saying 'modos' can refer to someone's general 'ways' or 'attitude.' If someone exclaims '¡Qué modos!', they're saying something like 'What an attitude!'

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: modos

Question 1 of 1

If a friend tells you, 'No me hables con esos modos', what are they complaining about?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

modo(way, manner, mode) - noun

modal(modal) - adjective

modificar(to modify) - verb

modelo(model) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'modos' and 'maneras'?

They are very similar and often interchangeable when talking about behavior ('buenos modos' / 'buenas maneras' both mean 'good manners'). 'Maneras' is slightly more common for 'manners' in some regions, while 'modos' can also refer more broadly to a person's general way or attitude.

What does 'de todos modos' mean?

It's a very common phrase that means 'anyway' or 'in any case'. For example: 'Llueve, pero de todos modos voy a salir.' (It's raining, but I'm going out anyway).