Use MEDIO to modify adjectives

Adjectives can be tricky. First, because their very nature is to specify characteristics of nouns. It allows you to give more information about a noun (person, place or thing), and there is so much to possibly say about nouns, right?

Basically, a lack of rich adjectives to describe things, persons or places confront us with a sense of limited vocabulary. I think that’s why we read so many ‘greats’ and ‘bigs’ and ‘goods’. Our vocabulary for adjectives tends to be quite poor but made up for with verys or reallys or quites, that make them sound more sophisticated.

In Spanish, MEDIO is usually that type of word. It doesn’t bring much to the table, but it delivers that extra that you sometimes need to grade an adjective.

You can hear it in combinations where you’re trying to soften a negative adjective, such as:

• Medio caro
• Medio aburrido
• Medio peligroso
• Medio antipático
• Medio desubicado
• Medio berreta (this one means of bad quality)

I think with these examples you can get the basic idea, and be ready when you next hear it.

Until next time, and thanks for reading!

You might also want to read these articles:

• On Huevos and Pelotas
  Rich metaphors await to those who dare to read this post.
• False expectations are deadly
  In language learning, false expectations can do real damage. Here’s why patience and perseverance win the race.
• Argentinian Spanish vs Mexican Spanish
  In the past, I compared Argentinian Spanish to Peninsular Spanish and Uruguayan Spanish. Here’s the long due AR / MX comparison.
• Cognates and False Friends
  Learn about cognates and false cognates so they don’t surprise further down in your Spanish learning journey.
• Cancherear
  Dive into the nuances of the word ‘canchero’ and how ‘cancherear’ can make or break a moment.
• Hacer una vaquita
  I’m not going to argue how ridiculous this phrase may sound at first. Let me just tell you what it means in Argentina.