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How to Say "adults" in Spanish

English → Spanish

adultos

/ah-DOOL-tohs//aˈðultos/

nounA1general
Use 'adultos' when referring to people who are fully grown, especially in contexts like ticket prices or general demographics.
A colorful storybook illustration showing a tall man and a tall woman standing together and smiling, representing fully grown people.

Examples

La entrada para niños es gratis, pero los adultos pagan diez euros.

Entry for children is free, but adults pay ten euros.

Necesitamos tres adultos para supervisar la excursión escolar.

We need three grown-ups to supervise the school trip.

The Universal Plural Rule

In Spanish, if you are talking about a group that includes both men (hombres) and women (mujeres), you always use the masculine plural form ('adultos') to refer to everyone.

Using the Feminine Plural for Mixed Groups

Mistake: “Las adultas están esperando.”

Correction: Los adultos están esperando. (Use 'adultas' only if the group is exclusively female.)

mayores

mah-YOH-rehs/maˈʝoɾes/

nounA2general
Use 'mayores' when referring to older people, elders, or those who have reached the legal age of majority, often implying respect or authority.
A group of three senior citizens with kind faces sitting together on a park bench, illustrating the concept of elders.

Examples

Debemos escuchar los consejos de nuestros mayores.

We must listen to the advice of our elders.

La entrada al museo es gratuita para los mayores.

Museum entry is free for seniors.

El club organiza actividades solo para mayores de edad.

The club organizes activities only for adults (people of legal age).

Adjective acting as Noun

When you put the article 'los' or 'las' in front of 'mayores', it automatically turns the adjective into a noun meaning 'the older people' or 'the seniors'.

Adultos vs. Mayores

The most common mistake is using 'mayores' when you simply mean 'adults' in a general sense. Reserve 'mayores' for when you specifically mean 'elders' or those who have reached the age of majority, rather than just 'fully grown people'.

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