Spanish · B2 · Everyday language
People in Your Little World in Spanish
Helping your baby recognize and navigate the social world involves naming the people they see, from trusted grown-ups to curious strangers. This guide focuses on referring to people in Spanish using nominalized adjectives—adjectives that act as nouns—while maintaining a natural, gentle tone for parent-child interaction.
What you'll learn
- Learn to identify adults, young people, and acquaintances in Spanish.
- Understand how adjectives like 'mayor' or 'conocido' function as nouns.
- Practice using gender-specific terms for people encountered in daily life.
- Model social boundaries and safety by naming strangers appropriately.
Spanish phrases for people in your little world
Un adulto te bajará por estos escalones.
A grown-up will carry you down these steps.
'Adulto' is the common way to say grown-up.
Los adultos se están poniendo los zapatos y luego nos iremos.
The grown-ups are putting their shoes on, and then we'll go.
Use 'los adultos' for a mixed-gender group.
Le voy a dar tu bolsa a un adulto, no a ti, pequeño.
I'm giving your bag to a grown-up, not to you, little one.
'Pequeño' is a sweet way to address a baby/child.
Mira, un joven te está saludando desde el banco.
Look, a young person is waving at you from the bench.
'Joven' is gender-neutral in the singular form (un joven/una joven).
Los jóvenes de allá están jugando con una pelota.
The young people over there are playing with a ball.
'Allá' indicates a bit of distance.
Una conocida mía viene a saludarnos.
A female acquaintance of mine is coming over to say hello.
'Conocida' is the feminine form of acquaintance.
Estamos sentados al lado de un conocido mío del barrio.
We're sitting beside a male acquaintance of mine from the neighbourhood.
'Del barrio' translates to 'from the neighborhood'.
No tienes que saludar a un extraño; puedes quedarte cerca de mí.
You don't have to wave to a stranger; you can stay close to me.
Reinforces emotional safety while learning the word 'extraño'.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Adulto
Adult / Grown-up
Used both as an adjective and a noun.
Joven
Young person / Youth
The plural is 'jóvenes' (note the added accent mark).
Conocido / Conocida
Acquaintance
Literally 'known person'.
Extraño / Desconocido
Stranger
'Desconocido' is often used for someone you simply don't know.
Nominalization of Adjectives
In Spanish, you can easily turn an adjective into a noun by adding an article (el, la, los, las). Unlike German, Spanish does not capitalize these nouns unless they start a sentence, and they follow standard noun gender and number rules.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine Singular | El + adjective | El joven (The young man) |
| Feminine Singular | La + adjective | La conocida (The female acquaintance) |
| Masculine Plural | Los + adjective | Los extraños (The strangers) |
More examples
¿Ves a ese joven con el perro?
Do you see that young person with the dog?
Using 'ese' (that) to point someone out.
Es una conocida de la guardería.
She is an acquaintance from the daycare.
'Guardería' is a useful word for parents.