Growing Old Together: Companionship to the End

Key vocabulary

• envejecerv.

  to grow old, age

  “Envejecer acompañado da sentido a la vida.”— Growing old with company gives meaning to life.

  Pattern envejecer acompañado grow old together

  Compare hacerse mayor to grow old

  Conjugation: envejezco, envejeces, envejece...

  💡 Root viejo (old) + en- verbalization; similar to envejecer is rejuvenecer (to become young again).

• ayuda mutuaf.

  mutual aid, mutual help

  “Cada vez más personas mayores crean grupos de ayuda mutua.”— More and more older people create mutual-aid groups.

  Pattern grupo de ayuda mutua mutual aid group

  Compare apoyo mutuo mutual support

  Plural: ayudas mutuas

  💡 mutuo comes from Latin mutuus, meaning 'mutual'; English mutual is cognate.

• acompañarv.

  to accompany, keep company

  “Todos se comprometen a acompañarse.”— Everyone commits to keeping each other company.

  Pattern acompañar a alguien accompany someone

  Compare estar con to be with

  Conjugation: acompaño, acompañas, acompaña...

  💡 Derived from a- + compañero (companion); compañero originally means 'one who eats bread together'.

• jubiladoadj./m.

  retired (adj.); retiree

  “Es profesora jubilada y forma parte del grupo.”— She is a retired teacher and part of the group.

  Pattern profesora jubilada retired female teacher

  Compare retirado retired

  Feminine: jubilada; plural: jubilados

  💡 From jubilar (to allow to retire); jubileo originally meant 'year of jubilation', later extended to retirement.

• vejezf.

  old age, later years

  “Varias personas mayores viven su vejez de esta manera.”— Several older people live their old age this way.

  Pattern vivir su vejez live out one's old age

  Compare tercera edad third age (old age)

  No plural change

  💡 From viejo (old); -ez is a noun suffix, similar to niñez (childhood).

• sentidom.

  meaning, sense

  “Da sentido a la vida.”— It gives meaning to life.

  Pattern dar sentido a la vida give meaning to life

  Compare significado meaning

  Plural: sentidos

  💡 From sentir (to feel); sentido can mean both 'feeling' and 'meaning'.

• objetivom.

  goal, objective

  “Su objetivo es que nadie se quede solo.”— Their goal is that no one stays alone.

  Pattern su objetivo es... his/her goal is...

  Compare meta goal

  Plural: objetivos

  💡 From objeto (object); objetivo originally meant 'objective', later extended to 'goal'.

• soloadj./adv.

  alone (adj./adv.); only

  “Nadie se queda solo.”— No one is left alone.

  Pattern quedarse solo to be left alone

  Compare sin compañía without company

  Feminine: sola; plural: solos/solas

  💡 Note that solo as an adjective changes with gender and number, but as an adverb it does not change.

Grammar spotlight

Sentence patterns to steal

• Envejecer acompañado es mucho más ligero que hacerlo solo.

  Growing old with company is much lighter than doing it alone.

  Hacer algo acompañado es más + adj. + que hacerlo solo.You can replace acompañado with other adverbs, such as juntos (together).

• Da sentido a la vida.

  It gives meaning to life.

  Dar sentido a + noun.You can replace la vida with other nouns, such as el trabajo (work).

• Si le pasa algo a cualquiera de nosotros, ahí estaremos para acompañar.

  If anything happens to any of us, we will be there to accompany them.

  Si + condition clause, main clause in future tense.You can replace acompañar with verbs like ayudar (to help).