Today’s Spanish word of the day is “joven”.
It’s an adjective meaning “young”.
It can also be used as a noun to refer to a young person. When used as a noun, it can cover quite a large age range—if you’re lucky you may still be referred to as a “joven” in your forties! This contrasts it to words such “chaval/chavala” (only used in Spain), which refers more specifically to teenagers.
The word “joven” comes from Latin iuvenis, which meant “young person” and usually referred to people in their thirties and forties.
Note that in the plural (“jóvenes”), the word takes an accent on the first vowel (ó). This is to show that the stress is on this syllable. By default, Spanish words are usually stressed on the second from lats syllable, so accent marks are sometimes added to show when things deviate from this pattern.
Example sentences
El perro es joven y juguetón.
The dog is young and playful.
Cuando era joven, vivía en el campo.
When I was young, I lived in the countryside.
Los jóvenes organizaron una fiesta.
The young people organized a party.
La joven bailarina impresionó a todo el público.
The young dancer impressed the entire audience.
Me siento joven de espíritu.
I feel young at heart [literally “of spirit”].
