mismo

Mismo is a Spanish word that functions as an adjective meaning “the same” and as an intensifier or particle used to emphasize identity or actuality. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: masculino singular mismo, femenino singular misma, masculino plural mismos, femenino plural mismas.

With a definite noun, mismo typically means “the same [noun].” Examples include el mismo libro (the same book), la misma casa (the same house). The form can also appear after the noun to stress the noun itself, as in el libro mismo or la casa misma, signaling a focus on that particular item.

Mismo is also used as an intensifier with pronouns or demonstratives, yielding phrases such as yo mismo (I myself), tú mismo (you yourself), or usted mismo. In these cases, it highlights the subject’s own action or assertion. It can function as a predeterminer that emphasizes the referent in contexts like “el hombre mismo” (the man himself) or “la tarea, la hice yo mismo” (I did the task myself).

In addition to these senses, mismo appears in fixed expressions such as así mismo, meaning “likewise” or “in the same way,” and puede also carry nuances of immediacy or identity depending on its placement and emphasis.

Beyond Spanish, 맞o, in Filipino and other languages with Spanish influence, an equivalent usage appears as an intensifier or identify-by-emphasis word borrowed from the same semantic core.

See also: sameness, emphasis, intensifier usage in Spanish.