Mejor is one of the words in Spanish with the greatest number of uses, meanings, and forms. Mejor is the English word for “best” or “the best”, although it has other meanings which we cannot translate literally. In a few words, we can use mejor to make comparisons, as a superlative, and with phrases. Thus, expressing probability is also possible.
Using mejor is really simple but you have to be aware of other structures It will help you use it in the right way. In this explanation, we will teach you how to use menor so you can expand your vocabulary and your general Spanish knowledge.
Mejor to make comparisons
In Spanish, mejor is a comparative adjective or adverb. One of the many ways to use it better is by making comparisons. When we talk about comparatives, we say that they are adjectives that we use to compare two things. This is when they both have a specific shared feature. However, mejor is an irregular comparison. One way to use mejor as a comparative is to use this formula,
Noun + mejor + que + noun
Or also,
Mejor + noun + que + noun
As you can see, the comparatives with mejor are built with the conjunction que. Here are some examples of both formulas.
El trabajo de Pedro es mejor que el de Carlos, es menos forzado y con mejor paga. / Pedro’s work is better than Carlos’s, it is less forced and with better pay.
Es mejor ir a la playa que ir a la montaña, ya que en la playa te puedes relajar más. / It is better to go to the beach than to go to the mountains, since on the beach you can relax more.
La escuela de Marta es mejor que la de Claudia, tiene una mejor educación. / Marta’s school is better than Claudia’s, it has a better education.
One important point to notice with those examples is that mejor has to come before the noun. This is a word order rule for adjectives in Spanish. Also, in the second example, we are talking about “ir a la playa” as an activity and therefore it plays the role of a noun.
We also can use mejor when it designates a moral quality of a person. We use it as a comparative analytical form. For example,
Tengo a la mejor mujer del mundo. / I have the best woman in the world.
Mejor as a superlative
Generally, Spanish speakers use mejor as a relative superlative. Thus, you can use it to differentiate an object from others in a group by maximizing its qualities or minimizing them. When using mejor as a superlative, you must use a definite article such as el, la, lo. The formula in this scenario would be:
El/la/lo + mejor
Keep in mind that the article will change depending on the gender of the noun you’re using. Here are some examples.
La idea de Carlos es la mejor que he escuchado en años, ¡tenemos que hacerlo! / Carlos’ idea is the best I’ve heard in years, we have to do it!
Mi hija es la mejor corredora de su equipo. / My daughter is the best runner on her team.
El mejor año de mi vida fue el 2012, ya que conocí a mi esposo. / The best year of my life was 2012, since I met my husband.
As you can see in the examples above, superlatives can go with a noun or also work as a pronoun. In that case, they must agree with the noun they refer to. For example,
De todos las universidades que he visitado, esta es la mejor. / Of all the universities I have visited, this is the best.
Él fue el mejor capitán del equipo el año pasado. / He was the best team captain last year.
Mejor to express probability
If you want to express probability using mejor, you can take advantage of the Spanish phrase “a lo mejor”. The phrase “a lo mejor” comes pretty handily during informal conversations. This expression has the meaning of quizás, acaso, or tal vez, which in English can be perhaps or maybe.
We use a lo mejor to express probabilities, hypotheses, or doubts. “A lo mejor” gives your audience an idea of an uncertain or conditional event.
A lo mejor can refer to both a negative and a positive fact. Generally, Spanish speakers use the word mejor only in positive sentences. But in this case, the phrase is a neutral expression, so we can use it in both scenarios.
Here are some examples with a lo mejor,
A lo mejor repruebo el examen de matemática, estuvo muy difícil el tema y no pude comprenderlo. / Maybe I’ll fail the math exam. The subject was very difficult and I couldn’t understand it.
A lo mejor si podamos ir al concierto de Blackpink este año. / Maybe if we can go to the Blackpink concert this year.
Después de todo lo que pasó, a lo mejor necesitas salir de tu zona de confort para ver otras alternativas. / After everything that happened, maybe you need to get out of your comfort zone to see other alternatives.
A lo mejor no me llama porque ha dejado de quererme. / Maybe he doesn’t call me because he has stopped loving me.
In Central American countries, native speakers use another variant to a lo mejor. It’s a la mejor. There are many other variants depending on where we are. However, using a la mejor isn’t correct as the right way to do it is to say “a lo mejor”, grammatically speaking.
In conclusion, mejor is a versatile Spanish word that can help us to express positive things or negative things. In some situations, when combined with other structures, it can help us express probability. Let’s take for example the phrase “a lo mejor”. Even so, this is such a pretty flexible word and it’s quite useful, most native speakers use it to highlight good features or qualities. Depending on the context, it may also express what’s convenient or not. Mejor is indeed a very popular Spanish word and we can guarantee that if you add this word to your vocabulary, becoming a great Spanish speaker will no longer take your sleep.