Spanish · People & Family

"Twin" in Spanish: gemelo / gemela

el gemelo / la gemela

Say it: heh-MEH-lohmasculine / feminine · el gemelo / la gemelanoun/xeˈme.lo/

A twin is el gemelo or la gemela (heh-MEH-loh / heh-MEH-lah). Match the ending to the person's gender. Identical twins are often gemelos idénticos.

Family facts

Mi hermana es mi gemela.
My sister is my twin.
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How to pronounce gemelo / gemela

Say it

heh-MEH-loh

/xeˈme.lo/

Say heh-MEH-loh. Stress MEH. Soft g before e.

"Twin" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
el gemelotwin (male)

Masculine singular.

la gemelatwin (female)

Feminine singular.

los gemelostwins

A twin pair, or twin brothers.

mi gemelomy twin brother

Possessive for a male twin.

How to use gemelo / gemela in real life

  1. 1Family facts

    Mi hermana es mi gemela.

    My sister is my twin.

    Gemela marks a female twin.

  2. 2School talk

    Los gemelos estudian juntos.

    The twins study together.

    Plural gemelos for the pair.

  3. 3Introducing

    Este es mi gemelo, Mateo.

    This is my twin, Mateo.

    Intro with gemelo.

Mistakes English speakers make with gemelo / gemela

Incorrect: Ella es mi gemelo.

Correct: Ella es mi gemela.

Use gemela for a woman or girl. Gemelo is masculine.

Incorrect: Somos twins.

Correct: Somos gemelos.

Say gemelos in Spanish.

Good to know

Gemelo and gemela are the standard Latin American words. Some regions also know mellizo for a fraternal twin, but gemelo is widely understood.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Looking at a family photo

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Quién es tu gemelo en la foto?

    Who is your twin in the photo?

  2. You

    El de la izquierda es mi gemelo.

    The one on the left is my twin.

  3. ChatPal

    Se parecen mucho.

    You look a lot alike.

  4. You

    Sí, desde niños.

    Yes, since we were kids.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Twin" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Twin" in Spanish

How do gender forms work for twin?

El gemelo for a male, la gemela for a female.

How do I say twins?

Los gemelos. Twin sisters can be las gemelas.

How do I say my twin sister?

Mi gemela.

Is mellizo the same?

Some speakers use mellizo for fraternal twins; gemelo is the safer general word.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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