Inklingo

How to Say "young person" in Spanish

English → Spanish

joven

/kho-ben//ˈxoβen/

nounA1general
Use 'joven' as a general term for a young person, applicable to both males and females, and across various contexts.
A young person, appearing to be a teenager, sitting on a park bench and reading a book.

Examples

El joven de la camisa azul es mi primo.

The young man in the blue shirt is my cousin.

Una joven me preguntó la hora.

A young woman asked me for the time.

Los jóvenes de hoy en día usan mucho el móvil.

Young people nowadays use their phones a lot.

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').

juvenil

/hoo-beh-NEEL//xuβeˈnil/

nounB1specific
Use 'juvenil' when referring to a teenager or adolescent, especially in contexts like sports teams or age categories.
A young athlete in a colorful team uniform holding a soccer ball on a green field.

Examples

Él juega en el equipo de los juveniles.

He plays on the junior team.

Joven vs. Juvenil

The most common mistake is using 'juvenil' as a general term for any young person. Remember that 'joven' is the broad, everyday term, while 'juvenil' is more specific to a particular age group or category, often in formal settings.

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