medir

Medir is a Spanish verb meaning to determine the size, amount, or extent of something by comparing it with a standard unit or instrument. It can refer to physical dimensions, quantities, or more abstract judgments. The verb derives from Latin metiri, related to measurement in science and everyday life; in modern Spanish it is used across contexts from geometry to daily tasks.

Conjugation: Medir is an irregular -ir verb with a stem change in several tenses. In the present indicative the forms are mido, mides, mide, medimos, medís, miden. The preterite is medí, mediste, midió, medimos, medisteis, midieron. The imperfect is medía, medías, medía, medíamos, medíais, medían. The future is mediré, medirás, medirá, mediremos, mediréis, medirán. The present subjunctive is mida, midas, mida, midamos, midáis, midan. The imperative forms are mide (tú), mida (usted), medid (vosotros), midan (ustedes). The past participle is medido and the gerund is midiendo.

Usage: Medir is used for physical dimensions (La habitación mide 20 metros), for quantities (medir la cantidad de agua), and for more abstract measures such as performance or quality (medir la precisión, medir la intensidad). To take measurements, one may say tomar las medidas o realizar una medición. In technical language, metrología is the science of measurement, and medición is the noun form.

Examples: El río mide 300 kilómetros de largo. Este termómetro mide la temperatura. Necesitamos medir la precisión de ese instrumento.

See also: medición, metrología, unidades de medida, medir la temperatura.